The postseason has only confirmed that the Chicago Cubs are much further than they should be. Offensively speaking, they don’t have the bats to keep up with some of the other top teams in the National League.
As they’ve seen with the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, those teams can get hot at any moment and swing it with the best of them in the league.
As they’ve seen with the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, those teams can get hot at any moment and swing it with the best of them in the league.
The Cubs, however, were one of the worst offensive teams in Major League Baseball this past season, a problem for a team looking to contend in the near future.
Despite how disappointing the showing was in 2024, and understandably, the fans need to see the front office do the right things for them to have trust in the future, there’s reason to be positive about the outlook of Chicago’s team.
From a farm system standpoint, they arguably have more trade assets than any team in baseball. Regarding money, it’s about time the Cubs start opening the checkbook and giving players the money they’re looking for if they could help them win.
That’ll be the dilemma they face this winter when Juan Soto hits free agency.
Soto wouldn’t fix all of Chicago’s lineup issues, but he’d be an excellent step in the right direction and give the team a superstar for the next decade.
However, his latest contract prediction doesn’t look favorable for the Cubs.
Eli Ben-Porat of Baseball America predicted Soto would land a $701 million deal this offseason.
“How big of a contract will Soto get? Before the season, I predicted that Soto will sign with the Yankees for 15 years, $701 million dollars (please ignore my other bold predictions). I think that’s roughly what he’ll get in free agency, and I think there is almost no chance the Yankees let him walk. There are very few players in baseball for whom you can expect a six-win floor for at least the next three seasons, and any team that’s looking to win a World Series is going to want to sign him. As with the infamous ‘Arson Judge’ moment, when it temporarily looked like the Yankees slugger was going to San Francisco, I think New York will do whatever it takes to sign him. And I think that number will be $1 million more than what Shohei Ohtani received.”
With all the other issues in the lineup, paying one hitter $701 million would be tough to justify.
Nobody would be upset with landing arguably the best hitter in baseball, but does he really fix all of their problems?
Probably not.
