NASHVILLE – Baseball executives weaved around vacationing families at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center on Monday, crossing indoor rivers and passing Christmas trees.
MLB’s annual Winter Meetings had kicked off, bringing hope that having player agents and representatives from every team under the same roof would ignite a spike in transactions. But there was also a sense that many free agents and teams were waiting – and once superstar Shohei Ohtani decided on his landing spot, his announcement would free up the market.
As of Monday evening, the Cubs had yet to make any major-league acquisitions, but they were included in reports of teams vying for some of the top free agents and trade targets available, including Ohtani.
“When you have someone as unique as the players at the top of the market, that just creates a new dynamic,” Cubs general manager Carter Hawkins said. “But there will always be something really interesting every offseason. And I think we’ll look back and say, we tried to make the best decisions we could, and there’s just unique circumstances this time; there will be unique circumstances next time.”
Hawkins declined to comment on specific free agents. And president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer was not made available Monday evening, with the Cubs citing personal reasons for his delay getting to Nashville. But Ohtani’s whole free agency process has been shrouded in secrecy. Even teams aren’t sure when the highly coveted two-way player might make his decision, let alone where he’ll land.
The Cubs are one of a handful of teams reported to be in the running to sign Ohtani, a group that is believed to include the Dodgers, Blue Jays, Giants, Angels and Braves. His contract, no matter where he signs, is expected to shatter records.
If the Cubs miss out on Ohtani, it won’t derail their offseason. But if they were able to win the battle for his services, in one move they’d give their lineup a massive boost and strengthen their rotation beginning in 2025. (That’s when Ohtani is targeting a return to the mound after elbow surgery. He’s set to serve as a designated hitter next year.)
Hawkins has another theory on the slow free agent market.
“Honestly, I think everybody getting sick [at the GM meetings] slowed the market down,” he said. “The narrative hasn’t picked up in the media, but I just think about all the calls that I made, and guys were like, I’m sorry, man, I can’t talk.”
He was only partially joking.
The Cubs have several areas of need this winter, as they seek to avoid the same disappointment as this past season. The playoffs are in sight, but they need a productive offseason to get there.
Cody Bellinger hitting free agency immediately weakened the Cubs’ lineup. He was their best hitter last season, providing both consistency and power. In addition to supplementing the rotation, rounding out the bullpen and filling positional holes, the Cubs have to – at the very least – find a way to replace Bellinger’s offensive contributions.
The Cubs’ progress last season, though they fell just short of a playoff berth, should strengthen their pitch to free agents who want to go somewhere competitive.
“We make a free agent video every year, and the highlights from this year’s free agent video have a lot of action from 2023 that’s guys that are still on our team and will be on our team for a long time,” Hawkins said. “And I think that part resonates too. You see the excitement at the ballpark, but it’s not excitement from the 2016 World Series. It’s excitement from Christopher Morel hitting a walk-off home run against the White Sox.”
When the Cubs signed manager Craig Counsell to a record five-year, $40 million contract, Hoyer said it wasn’t a signal that the Cubs were going to have “some crazy aggressive offseason.” But a team doesn’t oust their sitting manager for another if they aren’t serious about winning.
“Certainly, I really like our position,” he said then. “And if there are moves, even big moves, that will help us continue that trajectory we’ll definitely do it.”