Two months ago during the final week of the season, when the Chicago Cubs’ tenuous hold on a playoff spot had slipped away, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer looked across the field in Atlanta at the standard they were trying to reach.
The Braves, winners of six consecutive division titles and a World Series championship in that span, have become an offensive force and are yearly becoming one of the teams to beat.
“Whenever I see a great team like this, I actually look at it as inspirational, that’s the standard,” Hoyer said at the end of September. “And to get where you want to go, that’s where you have to get.”
Reaching that level will take more than one offseason and require the Cubs return to the postseason for the first time in a full season since 2018. Hoyer and the Cubs certainly have multiple paths to building a playoff roster in the next two months, with Shohei Ohtani representing the marquee prize.
Free-agent signings and trades should pick up at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, Tenn., the site for Major League Baseball’s annual winter meetings. Ahead of the four-day event which starts Monday, here is a look at three questions the Cubs face this offseason.
Shohei Ohtani and his representation have kept his free-agent process extremely quiet publicly with limited insight into any priorities in choosing his next team or the time frame to make his decision.
Ohtani will have a hold on the league until his destination is announced, and with that, any teams fully involved in the attempt to sign the superstar inherently have to put other roster-building decisions on hold.
Cubs fans have embraced the dream over the last month of Ohtani becoming the star attraction at Wrigley Field in 2024 and beyond. Hoyer’s stealth pursuit and hire of manager Craig Counsell last month provided a reminder of his shrewd maneuvering and how he can pull off these types of moves.
If Ohtani commits to a team by the end of the winter meetings, the Cubs are among the most notable clubs whose offseason direction gains a lot of clarity. There are avenues beyond Ohtani — though none singularly powerful on or off the field — for the Cubs to build a winning team, but it starts with him.
The Cubs boast one of the top minor-league systems in the majors, both with the quality of depth and high-end prospect talent. What they have been able to do through development, scouting and drafting the last three years after committing to what became a short rebuild in 2021 has set them up to use that talent pool to acquire proven big leaguers.
The Cubs, importantly, won’t need to deplete from their top prospect group to bring in a major-league quality player or two, putting them in an advantageous position. Beyond the prospects who have not yet reached the majors, the Cubs could also look to move younger big-league caliber players.
Christopher Morel remains a potential key trade piece because of his limited roster fit and the star upside the 24-year-old has shown as an electric utility player.
But unless center field, first base or third base could work as the most non-designated hitter playing time is available, Morel’s greatest help to the Cubs can be in a trade that addresses a positional need.
Lefty slugger Matt Mervis represents another intriguing on-the-cusp player who struggled in limited action (99 plate appearances) during his debut season. Bottom line: the Cubs will have plenty of options to offer for a strong trade package for an impactful player.
Even if the Cubs land Ohtani, their efforts to build a complete team won’t be done, though it lessens the pressure to land a middle of the order bat.
With Cody Bellinger’s impending departure through free agency, the Cubs already need to replace his slugging production should he ultimately end up elsewhere while still finding another power hitter.
Former Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins makes a ton of sense on either a one-year pillow contract or shorter multiyear contract because of his power and patient approach he would provide at the plate. A trade could also address either corner infield position. Center field presents an option to platoon if the organization is confident Pete Crow-Armstrong will take the next step in his development at the big-league level in 2024 after struggling as a September call up.
The Cubs desperately need more swing-and-miss on their pitching staff.
Rays right-hander Tyler Glasnow, who is owed $25 million in the final year of his deal, certainly offers that. He owns a 33.5% K% since 2018, however, he has been limited to only 60 starts the last five years because of injuries. The Cubs will look to add whiffs and experience to an experienced bullpen that wore down by the end of their disastrous September collapse.
The Cubs sit in a great position. They possess financial flexibility to add top players without solely needing to find that through free agency. By the time everything shakes out, MLB’s offseason could be defined by the Cubs.
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