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The quickest way for professional sports teams to get
better in a hurry is to sign top tier free agents. Chicago has some sports teams that could use
a boost. So how do the major
professional teams of Chicago size up as a potential destination for top free
agents? Here’s a team by team look at
how Chicago’s five major professional sports teams grade out as a primary
destination to top free agents. I’ll
start with the best and work my way down.
Blackhawks: The Blackhawks look to be
very strong in this area. First of all,
they are an Original Six franchise. They
have a great history. They’ve also been
winners recently. The ownership seems to
want to win and the atmosphere may be the best in the NHL. They also have a young coach who doesn’t seem
to be in over his head. There is also a
nucleus in place that could lead the team deep into the playoffs as early as
next season with the right free agent signings.
And, as a refreshing change, they also have cap space! If the Hawks could have some help on the blue
line they could get better in a hurry.
Their ability to sign good free agents is why I can see some
improvement next season. Grade: A
Bears: It’s great to see the Bears
as a power again! Even when the Bears
were down in past seasons they’ve still been a player in free agency. In part that’s because of their past
glory. They also have an excellent fan
base. Despite past conception, the Bears
ownership isn’t cheap when it comes to paying players. There’s some great young
talent on the team so a veteran looking to make a Super Bowl run could see the
Bears as a great vehicle to achieve that goal.
Matt Nagy also seems like a fun guy to play for. Soldier Field isn’t a selling point, however,
and the Bears don’t have a ton of cap space, but things still look good from
the standpoint of them being able to attract quality free agents. Grade:
B+
Cubs: The Cubs have lost ground in
this area recently. They still have
Wrigley Field and the fans going for them, but some clouds have crept into the horizon. Joe Ricketts’ emails haven’t helped the Cubs
image. Also, the team’s recent turn
towards austerity is an issue. I will
say that I’m not as critical about them in this area as some Cubs fans. The Cubs have swung and missed on some high
end free agents recently so I understand reigning things in a bit. I’m also not sure Joe Maddon is the draw for
players he was a couple of seasons ago. Moves
that in the past might have been considered unorthodox or outside the box now
seem more poorly thought out or just plain bad.
Joe really likes to put his imprint on a game and his team. If I’m a player I think I would want him to be
a little more hands off and just let players play. Grade:
C+
White
Sox: Well, they have plenty
of money. There’s that. They also seem to lack a commitment to
winning. There is some young
talent. It would seem like the
organization would be ripe to add some quality veterans, but that doesn’t seem
to be the case. Their offseason appears
to be all about signing Bryce Harper or Manny Machado. They still may do that but it appears that
the Sox are the top guys' tool to drive up the bidding for their services, not
their preferred destination. Regardless
of how that Harper/Machado thing turns out, II don’t see why they are waiting
to make other moves. I guess it goes
back to that commitment to winning thing.
Here’s a new slogan for the White Sox:
We will win no game before its time. Grade: D
Bulls: If you’re a mediocre player
looking to draw a nice pay check and aren’t concerned about winning, the Bulls
are the place for you. The Bulls have
been a slipshod operation since MJ retired.
They are in yet another rebuild.
If it was possible, I believe this would be their sixth one in the last
five years. The rebuild before this
current one was built around a college coach, Fred Hoiberg. To the surprise of nobody, except Gar/Pax, it
didn’t work. If Jerry Reinsdorf didn’t
seem to be playing the role of Bernie in Weekend at Bernie’s, maybe he would
fire John Paxon. Then he could hire somebody
with a better track record of front office success, somebody like Elgin Baylor. The Bulls franchise has been living off the carcass
of the Jordan championship years for about 20 years now. Even Paxon admitted they’re not in a position
to attract the best free agents. If the
Bulls put out a sign for free agents it could read: Now Hiring Mediocrity, Apply within. Grade:
F
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