SAN DIEGO — On your marks, get set, go.
The winter meetings have set the stage for a whirlwind week, with the inaugural MLB Draft Lottery, Rule 5 Draft, manager press conferences, a charity auction benefiting the new Boys & Girls Club in Uvalde, Texas. And, of course, there’s always a spike in signings and trades.
“We’re in the market for good players,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said during the GM meetings last month. “So, we’re not that positionally focused.”
That answer has the benefit of not revealing too much. But the Cubs’ wealth of young players who are comfortable at multiple positions means the team isn’t as positionally restricted as the more established clubs in the league. The Cubs could add a power bat at a number of positions. They need reinforcements in both their rotation and bullpen.
Here are the Cubs’ most pressing needs entering the winter meetings on Monday.
Pitching
A top free agent pitcher came off the board early, with the Rangers signing Jacob deGrom to a five-year, $185 million deal. But as of Sunday afternoon, Carlos Rodón, Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw still headlined a star-studded free agent class.
There’s also been buzz around Koudai Senga, the right-handed free agent coming to MLB from Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. Senga’s representation planned to meet with the Cubs at the GM Meetings last month, in an early survey of Senga’s suitors. The Athletic reported on Sunday that the Cubs had also checked in with two-time Cy Young winner Corey Kluber.
The Cubs will need to add plenty of “quality innings,” as Hoyer put it, this winter. They’ve shown a knack for getting production out of veteran relievers on short-term deals. For example, look at Chris Martin, who signed a two-year, $17.5 million contract with the Red Sox last week.
A year ago, he joined the Cubs on a one-year contract worth $2.5 million plus incentives. Then, he posted an impressive strikeout-to-walk ratio (10), the Cubs traded him at the deadline, and he finished the season with the Dodgers in dominant fashion (1.46 ERA with LA).
So, while bolstering the bullpen will take more transactions, the Cubs’ rotation additions will be the bigger indicator of success next year.
Catching
Willson Contreras, who declined the Cubs’ qualifying offer last month to enter free agency, leaves a hole at catcher and in the lineup. So, who will join Yan Gomes behind the plate?
The Cubs have shown interest in World Series champion Christian Vázquez, according to multiple reports. And his defensive prowess lines up with the team’s priorities at that position.
Contreras headlines the free agent catcher class, which, along with Vázquez, also includes Gary Sanchez, Omar Narvaez, Mike Zunino and Tucker Barnhart.
Offensive boost
The Cubs have the flexibility to add power at a number of defensive positions: Shortstop, first base, center field. If they want to get a little more creative, the list could go on.
The strength of the shortstop free agent class this year has been well documented, and Carlos Correa, Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson are still available.
The Cubs are excited about power-hitting first base prospect Matt Mervis’ emergence this year. But they still could use someone with more experience to pair with Mervis at first base and DH next year.
Two top first basemen have already found landing spots. Last week, Anthony Rizzo re-signed with the Yankees for two years, $40 million guaranteed, and José Abreu joined the Astros on a three-year, $58.5 million deal. But the Cubs were unlikely to compete with teams willing to commit that much to a first baseman when the North Siders hope their future at the position may already be in the organization.
The center field free agent pool got a little more interesting a couple weeks ago, when the Dodgers non-tendered Cody Bellinger. His offensive production has dropped off since his 2019 MVP season, but that also caps the market for a player with a sky-high ceiling. The Cubs could add a consistent center fielder or fill the position by committee, as they did last season.
