The Chicago Cubs will have a lot of money to spend next offseason. And according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, they might be spending a lot of that money on one of the “big” shortstops. Here’s what Rosenthal said on a recent episode of The Athletic Baseball Show regarding the Cubs’ spending next offseason.
“They’ve got to go ge — and I believe they will get — one of the big shortstops. And they need to do some work around the edges, for sure. They’ve got some promising things happening.”
– Ken Rosenthal on The Athletic Baseball Show
Cubs’ Shortstop Outlook
Nico Hoerner
Coming into the 2022 season, there were questions about who would take over as the everyday shortstop for the Cubs. But Nico Hoerner has solidified himself as the Cubs’ starting shortstop with his consistency all year long.
In 92 games, he is slashing .295/.337/.412 with six home runs, 14 doubles, three triples, 34 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases. He also ranks in the top 10 among shortstops with a 2.8 fWAR (seventh). Oh yeah, and he has managed to develop into a very good defender as well.
Big-Name Free Agents
However, next offseason will be a gold mine for teams looking for a shortstop. And with names like Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts, Dansby Swanson, and Carlos Correa (if he chooses to opt out of his current contract with the Minnesota Twins) all hitting the free-agent market, general managers would be crazy not to at least call and ask about the prices.
The question for the next few months from Cubs fans will be: If we’re planning on signing one of the big shortstops next offseason, who’s it going to be? That’s a fun debate we can all have for the next several months, but just to stir the pot a bit, both Bogaerts and Correa have been linked to the Cubs before, maybe we see one of them at Wrigley next year.
Yes, Nico Hoerner has developed himself into an extremely productive shortstop, but with three star names hitting the free-agent market next offseason (I don’t put Swanson quite in the star category yet), Jed Hoyer has to make a phone call to at least one of them, right? Plus, given Hoerner’s athleticism, he could potentially transition to another position on the field if he had to.
I don’t get my hopes up for a lot of rumors. But if Rosenthal believes the Chicago Cubs “will get” a top free-agent shortstop, I’m at least a little excited. With pressure from fans on the front office to make a big splash this offseason, star players hitting the open market, and the organization having a lot of money available to spend, you can guarantee it will not be a quiet winter for the Cubs.
Let’s just hope it’s not loud for the wrong reasons.
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