Report: Cobb rejected 3-year, $42M deal from Cubs

The Chicago Cubs were reportedly spurned in their recent pursuit of free-agent right-hander Alex Cobb.

The team offered Cobb a three-year, $42-million contract to round out the team's rotation, but he was convinced by his agent to reject the deal, NBC Sports' David Kaplan reported on the "Cubs Talk Podcast."

He's apparently not asking for a contract worth $80 million, but is seeking a longer term than three years.

Should the free-agent market remain slow, and Cobb changes his mind, Kaplan said the deal would still be on the table.

"In a second," he said.

The 30-year-old Cobb is coming off a season in which he went 12-10 with a 3.66 ERA over 29 starts. He appeared in a career-high 179 1/3 innings, showing he has fully recovered from the Tommy John surgery that forced him to miss 2015 and most of 2016.

The Cubs could lose Jake Arrieta and John Lackey to free agency, and have only added right-handed starter Tyler Chatwood so far this offseason. They may still be in play for Cobb, who would join Chatwood, Kyle Hendricks, and lefties Jose Quintana and Jon Lester in the rotation.