It's been a tough stretch for the Chicago Cubs in free agency.
With their sights set on landing Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki, they were given the unpleasant news that he would not be signing with them before it was revealed he had chosen the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Then, the Cubs finished behind the Dodgers again when it came to another free agent target, this time star closer Tanner Scott.
Information has started to come out that Chicago might have been his preferred destination, but their hesitancy to extend a fourth year to him in their initial contract proposal until the final hour ultimately caused him to sign with Los Angeles.
The once promising offseason that was propelled by the aggressive decisions to acquire Kyle Tucker in a trade and ship Cody Bellinger out of town have now turned a bit sour based on comments made by the chairman of the franchise when it comes to spending.
Could that have played a part in not landing Scott?
It's hard to think it didn't.
The Cubs still have an opportunity to make another splash this winter which would truly position themselves as favorites in the NL Central.
Because the third base situation is far from solidified after Isaac Paredes was included in the package to land Tucker and they seem hesitant to hand things over to star prospect Matt Shaw just yet, there were some rumblings that Alex Bregman could become a target.
However, Jed Hoyer seems to have nixed that notion with his latest comments.
This likely stems from the news that Bregman is not looking to sign a short-term contract with high AAV, instead opting to wait it out for the megadeal he's been searching for this winter.
Handing out a high-priced, long-term commitment to the star, no matter how good he is, doesn't make much sense considering they are ready to turn things over to Shaw at some point in the near future.
These comments also suggest they might be rethinking their inability to commit to the youngster.
Spring Training will likely be the determining factor in who eventually earns the Opening Day nod, and with Jed Hoyer seemingly ending the notion that they're interested in Bregman, then the runway should be clear for Shaw.
It should also be pointed out that these comments were made before Chicago whiffed on Scott, so maybe that changes things when it comes to their desire to add another impact player.
