The Chicago Cubs were second in the National League in runs scored after the All-Star break as Kris Bryant rebounded from a midseason slump, part of what seems like an inevitable climb into the upper echelon of power hitters.

Kyle Schwarber showed the first signs that he will be among the better left-handed hitters in baseball. Anthony Rizzo finished 10th in the MVP voting in 2014, and after compiling 72 extra-base hits and reaching base 271 times in 2015, he was fourth in the latest balloting for the award.

Bryant is 23, Schwarber 22 and Rizzo 26, and with this trio, the Cubs probably aren't going to lack for run production in the years ahead, which is why their big-dollar investments in Ben Zobrist ($56 million over four years) and Jason Heyward ($184 million over eight years) are somewhat surprising. In recent years, we've seen payroll flexibility become as much of a weapon for contenders as roster depth, and the Cubs didn't have to invest the largest contract in the history of the franchise to put themselves in position to contend for a title. When the Cubs signed Jon Lester last season, he gave them the sort of top-of-rotation veteran they desperately needed. But for all the money spent on Heyward, it's not as if he fills a gaping hole, and unless the Cubs join the Dodgers and Yankees as teams that can operate without regard to budget, what this could mean is there will be future opportunities that might be bypassed because of the dollars committed to Heyward.

But at the very least, of course, they do have Heyward. In 2015, the Cubs' center fielders -- most of the time, that was Dexter Fowler -- generated 3.2 fWAR (FanGraphs WAR), tied for 15th best in the majors, and their right fielders ranked 25th. Heyward rated a 6.0 fWAR, 11th best among all position players (right behind Bryant), thanks to his broad range of skills. He has drawn some comparisons to Paul O'Neill and Dwight Evans, but that's not really fair to Heyward. O'Neill was a much better hitter, once winning a batting title and batting over .300 six times (Heyward has never had a .300 season). Evans was an OBP machine who had a lifetime .370 mark in that category, a height Heyward has reached just once so far in his six-year career, and Evans clubbed 20 or more homers 11 times in a span of 12 seasons, leading the league once. Heyward has surpassed 20 homers just once.

But Heyward is a dominant defensive player, better than O'Neill and at least as good as Evans was, and he's an outstanding baserunner. He does have the ability to get on base -- he has a .353 career OBP -- and he does hit for some power. It's as if he's the Zobrist of full-time outfielders. From 2009 to 2015, Zobrist ranks fifth in WAR among all players thanks to his array of skills. Heyward has positional versatility, he is a difference-making baserunner, he adds offense, he is without peer on defense among right fielders -- which in turn augments the Cubs' pitching -- and he is only 26 years old. The Cubs can reasonably expect that for however long Heyward plays for them, whether he takes advantage of his out clauses or not, they should get the best years of his career.

The questions about how much Heyward will develop as a hitter will linger, because longtime evaluators see his swing as complicated, something not easily repeatable. He has had periods in his career in which opposing pitchers have hammered him with inside fastballs, and some scouts believe he goes through extended periods in which his swing has forced him to choose contact over power, or vice versa, because, they believe, Heyward cannot consistently generate both.

But metrics generated by the whole of his game are staggering. "This is a player who stat guys love," said one longtime evaluator, "because he fills a box score. But I would have to be convinced to spend that kind of money on a player like that, because you just don't know about the hit tool."

There is another factor that would explain the Cubs' seeming all-in pursuit of Zobrist and Heyward. While the organization's key position players, from Rizzo to 21-year-old shortstop Addison Russell, are all very young, the team's best pitchers are not. The window of opportunity, given the team's pitching staff, would seem to be right now.

Jake Arrieta, coming off the best second half for any MLB pitcher in history, turns 30 in March, has a crossfire delivery that scares some pitching coaches and two years before reaching free agency; he is represented by Scott Boras, who almost always takes his clients into the open market. Lester turns 32 next month, and he'll probably climb past 2,000 innings for his career next season. The 37-year-old John Lackey just signed a two-year deal.

The Cubs have a surplus of outfielders and may well trade for one of the young controllable starting pitchers who could be available in the market before next July 31, whether it's Atlanta's Julio Teheran, Oakland's Sonny Gray or one of the Cleveland rotation pieces.

The organization's weakness is pitching depth, and with the Cubs having surrendered their first choice in next year's draft and likely to be picking near the back of the pack for years to come, there's really no telling how long it will be before Chicago develops its next impact starting pitcher. The team's next-best shot to land a front-line starter might be in 2018, when Matt Harvey and Jose Fernandez become free agents. So while we think of the Cubs as a building power, the best chance they might have to win might be immediately. With Zobrist, and with Heyward.

Joe Maddon wants the Cubs to embrace the high expectations. The Cubs scored big, writes Jesse Rogers. Bryant called Zobrist and Heyward perfect fits.

Heyward projects to be among the best big-money contracts, writes Dan Szymborski.

The Braves blew it with Heyward, writes Jeff Schultz.

Astros make former No. 1 pick Appel part of the Giles trade

Each time pitcher prospect Mark Appel had a good start or series of starts, the Astros would speak well of his progress, seizing the positive, and rightly so. But the fact is things hadn't been going well for the first overall pick of the 2013 draft, and there were questions within the organization about whether he was going to get better.

So it was smart of the Astros to turn the page on Appel and include him in the trade for Ken Giles, and hand over his development to the Phillies, where Appel can get a fresh start. The scrutiny on the right-hander was only going to increase, and after 54 games in the minors and a 5.12 ERA -- with 280 hits in 253 innings -- he apparently isn't close to good enough for the majors.

Hopefully Appel can get back on track with the Phillies, with whom he'll be seen as a project rather than the player taken ahead of Kris Bryant.

Meanwhile, Astros ace Dallas Keuchel likes the addition of Giles.

Here's the new-look Astros bullpen, which could be among the best in the majors next season:

Closer: RHP Ken Giles

Setup men: RHP Luke Gregerson and LHP Tony Sipp

Middle men: RHP Will Harris (who held opponents to a .168 average last season), RHP Josh Fields (held opponents to a .285 OBP in '15) and RHP Pat Neshek

Notables

• The Pirates find themselves losing ground in the NL Central, writes Travis Sawchik. The Pirates dealt starting pitcher Charlie Morton for minor league pitching.

According to this Rob Biertempfel story, the Pirates will have a payroll of about $105 million, a club record. Here's more:

By cutting ties with Morton, Neil Walker (who was traded on Wednesday) and Pedro Alvarez (who was non-tendered), the Pirates shed about $27 million worth of salary obligations. Morton will make $8 million in the final year of his contract, which includes a $1 million buyout of his 2017 club option.

Nine Pirates players already under contract for 2016 will cost a total of $70.8 million. The tab for seven arbitration-eligible players, a group that includes Mark Melancon and Francisco Cervelli, is expected to be $26 million.

Rather than use the money left in their budget on a single marquee free agent or trade acquisition, the Pirates prefer to spend it on multiple value-priced players.

Huntington is pursuing help at first base, the starting rotation and bullpen.

"We definitely are going to look at another pitcher or two," manager Clint Hurdle said. "We have a plan."

However, free agents who are asking for $10 million-plus a year -- such as slugger Chris Davis and pitchers Scott Kazmir and Mike Leake -- are not on the team's radar. Bounce-back candidates such as Justin Masterson and Mat Latos are more likely options.

• Reliever John Axford is OK with his projected role in Oakland.

Moves, deals and decisions

1. The Angels signed reliever Ramon Ramirez.

NL West

• The Padres remain a team without an identity, writes Bryce Miller.

• Zack Greinke was introduced by the Diamondbacks.

• The Giants think Jeff Samardzija will thrive in their environment. Samardzija explained what happened last season.

• The Dodgers have some question marks in the infield.

• The winter meetings were a complete disaster for the Dodgers, writes Houston Mitchell.

• The Padres left the winter meetings with a catching surplus.

NL Central

• A healthy Jameson Taillon is eager to pitch.

NL East

• Bryce Harper has high praise for ex-manager Matt Williams and current manager Dusty Baker.

• Don Mattingly aims to energize baseball in Miami.

AL West

• Angels GM Billy Eppler is focused on outfielders.

• The Mariners signed reliever Steve Cishek.

AL East

• Brad Miller is not guaranteed to be the Rays' every-day shortstop, writes Marc Topkin. From his piece:

Miller was acquired from Seattle with the idea that the lefty swinger would have the first shot at the everyday job, though there is the matter of a considerable difference in his splits -- a .756 on-base plus slugging percentage against right-handers, .574 vs. lefties.

That creates the possibility of at least a timeshare, if not a legit competition with Tim Beckham, a righty hitter who in his first extended big-league action was a more equitable .725 vs. LHPs, .676 vs. RHPs. Switch-hitting Nick Franklin could be another option, though after his disappointing injury-marred 2015 season, he could be better served by regular duty at Triple A. Another factor is Miller -- whom the Rays have sought for years -- is the most versatile of the three, having played 35 games in the outfield last year for Seattle, in addition to second and third.

"We would like for somebody to kind of take the reins and become our shortstop," manager Kevin Cash said. "We were kind of in a similar position last year, and Asdrubal Cabrera did that. So hopefully we can figure some stuff out in spring training and each individual makes the most of the opportunities they will be presented."

• The situation with Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista will be a big test for the Jays.

• This has been a winter of discontent for the Jays so far, writes John Lott.

Lastly

• There is sad news about longtime writer Phil Pepe.

• The toxicology report on Tommy Hanson was released.

• As Michael Cuddyer walks away, baseball lost a true gentleman. He cited aches and pains. The Twins tweeted to Cuddyer after the news broke.

• Basketball coaching legend Don Meyer would've been 71 years old today.

And today will be better than yesterday.