At the 2021 trade deadline, Chicago Cubs General Manager Jed Hoyer shipped off key members of the 2016 World Championship team in Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, and Javier Báez.
That signaled the beginning of a rebuild for the Cubs, who had a fairly light offseason, their biggest free agent signing being that of starting pitcher Marcus Stroman.
Thus, the way the 2022 MLB season has played out for the Chicago Cubs has not been entirely surprising. At 50-67, they are third in the National League Central, 16 games back of the first-place St. Louis Cardinals, and 14 games back of a NL Wild Card spot.
For the remainder of the season, Hoyer and the rest of Chicago's brass will evaluate their roster and then gear up for an anticipated active offseason, where they have a payroll of just $92.5 million for 2023, per FanGraphs.
“There will be money to spend and we look forward to getting to the offseason and working on that," Hoyer said in an interview with Cole Wright on Cubs Live! "But in the meantime, we got a lot more games and we can learn a lot over these next two months.”
One area in which Chicago will sure to be honing in on is shortstop. Nico Hoerner currently mans the position, and although he's played well in 2022, he hasn't locked it down by any means. 2023's free agent shortstop class contains the likes of Trea Turner, Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts, and Dansby Swanson.
Hoerner has slashed a respectable .300/.348/.424 with seven home runs and 39 RBI across 102 games this season. He was selected by the Cubs 24th overall in the 2018 MLB Draft, and was originally called up as a replacement to Báez when he went down with an injury during the 2019 season. Additionally, Manager David Ross is a fan of Hoerner, claiming the 25-year-old is a "veteran soul."
"There’s a veteran aspect that he carries when he steps foot in the clubhouse, when he steps foot on the baseball field,” Ross told Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic. “Whether it was being around that championship group early on in his career … then going through his adversity, being able to get an opportunity to play every day, staying healthy and being able to prove what he knows about himself and what we believe in him."
By all accounts, Hoerner seems to be well liked by the organization, and ranks in the 90th, 91st, and 99th percentiles in xBA, Sprint Speed, and Outs Above Average, per Baseball Savant. For those reasons, Chicago may decide to hold on to him, but that doesn't mean they couldn't shop for a top shortstop. Hoerner could always shift over to second base. He's only logged 14 major league appearances there, but his versatility in the infield should allow him to transition quickly.
One upcoming free agent that especially peaks the Cubs' interest is Turner, due to his speed, power, and defensive capabilities. In an interview with NBC Sports Chicago, Turner said it's "mandatory" that he knows what the [Cubs] expect, where it’s going, what they’re trying to do, or what they're "vision" is. “You need to know how the next few years look and how that pertains to you and your family and your career,” he said. “It’s definitely a factor in picking a team.”
This makes Hoyer's offseason plan even more important. Chicago is a great sports market, but so is Turner's incumbent Los Angeles. The Dodgers will be looking to retain him, and many teams will certainly be calling to check in on him—but the Cubs
“Our goal is to build something really special," Hoyer has stated. "We know that truly special season may be a bit in the future but we want to compete every year in the meantime."
"A bit into the future" might not coax Turner, but with the Cubs having plenty of money to spend, a potential contract with an average annual value (AAV) of $30 million could draw him in. Robert Murray of FanSided previously predicted Turner could land a contract greater than Corey Seager's $32.5 million AAV, but at a shorter length than 10 years. With a slim payroll, Chicago must be willing to meet that.
“I have no opinion myself other than it seems like everyone who plays there really, really likes it,” Turner said, “I’m sure that’s for numerous reasons, whether it’s the history, or the fan base, or how they run the organization, or the fans just showing up each and every day—they pack that place out."
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