The Chicago Cubs look like a team on the cusp of being able to make some noise in the National League.
Their hiring of Craig Counsell to be manager of the team ahead of the 2024 season didn’t pay off as much as they had hoped, as they won 83 games for the second straight year, but they have to like the direction things are heading.
A really strong core is developing with the emergence of younger players Pete Crow-Armstrong in center field and Michael Busch at first base. There is a ton of talent waiting for their chance in the minor league pipeline as well, with eight players ranked in the top 100 of baseball, seven of whom are position players.
This winter, starting pitching has been identified as a need.
Veteran Kyle Hendricks already departed, signing a deal with the Los Angeles Angels shortly after free agency opened.
How close to the top of the market the team goes to replace him is anyone’s guess. Frugal spending has been an issue for the Cubs, who have already set their fans up to be prepared for no splashes to come.
“The Cubs do not intend to deviate from this course, multiple sources told The Athletic, ruling out a pursuit of Juan Soto or Corbin Burnes even before all the baseball executives and agents checked out of the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa,” as shared by Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic.
Despite that, Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report has listed Chicago as one of the most realistic teams that could steal star right fielder Juan Soto away from the New York Yankees in free agency.
“He's precisely the big bopper the Cubs need in their lineup, which got 20-plus homers from three different guys, yet only 170 overall in 2024. That was as many as the Royals, whose home stadium is the size of a national park. Besides, the Cubs should be able to afford Soto ... their projected 2025 payroll is about $45 million below what they spent in 2024,” he wrote.
The Cubs were in on Shohei Ohtani last offseason before he landed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
If they are willing to spend on high-end talent, why not make a run at one of the best players in the world?
Based on the report from Sharma and Mooney, fans shouldn’t get their hopes up, but there is a lot to like about the Cubs if they were to seriously pursue Soto with the intent of actually acquiring him and not just garnering a few headlines.
This article first appeared on Chicago Cubs on SI and was syndicated with permission.
