Two sluggers that the Cubs could add this offseason |
As you sit back and watch the postseason, and what an exciting postseason it has been, it has been a tough pill to swallow for the Chicago Cubs fans. After all, this was the season when they were not only supposed to compete for a division title, but from all accounts, many of the experts had them running away with the division.
Instead, they had to settle for a second straight second-place finish and 10 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers, leaving this team with more questions than answers. Some of the questions are how to improve this roster, knowing the limited moves you can make, and still trying to stay under the Luxury Tax that this team still treats like a salary cap. According to reports, the Cubs are expected to be 70 million dollars under the luxury tax this offseason, which should help them improve their roster in various ways. If Cody Bellinger elects to opt in, that will make things tricky as it would take their available funds down to 43 million dollars, which still should be enough to sign another pitcher and get some bullpen help. However, starting pitching wasn't the issue last season, but once again an inconsistent offense and a bullpen that was one of the worst in baseball for the first two months of the season. Fixing the bullpen is an area that Hoyer needs to address, but so is adding more slug to the middle of this lineup. Grabbing Juan Soto or Pete Alonso in free agency would instantly change the outlook of this lineup, but does anyone think the Cubs are going to fork out the cash for Soto or give Alonso the long-term deal he is looking for? If you are going off the track record of Hoyer, neither of those deals seems plausible for this team, which raises the question of where the middle of the lineup helps come from. One name that has been mentioned a lot with the Cubs over the past few months remains high on their list: Orioles RF Anthony Santander. He is coming off another solid season and is set to hit the market for the first time. Part of the Orioles franchise for the better part of eight seasons, Santander has put on quite a run with the Orioles, hitting .246 with 155 career homers. While that average isn't what you like to see for a team that needs better hitters, the overall production is what the Cubs are looking at as Santander has been one of the more overlooked sluggers in the game. After failing to top 20 homers in his first five seasons, Santander has found the power stroke the past three seasons, where he has hit 33,28 and a career-high 44 homers this season. He has done that while hitting around .240 each season and driving in at least 89 runs in each of those seasons, with this season being the first time he has topped 100 RBIs. That is what you are talking about when discussing a middle-of-the-order power bat, and Santander would be a massive addition to this team for a fraction of what Soto would cost. Also, Santander is also a switch hitter, which gives the Cubs even more lineup flexibility should he sign with Chicago. This is a move that the Cubs could make as he will be looking for a five-year deal worth 20-25 million per season. That is a steal when you look at his recent production and a player that would make this team better offensively.
Another name starting to pop up as a potential middle-of-the-lineup threat may come as a surprise, as former Cub Joc Pederson is starting to hear his name as a possible reunion with the team. Ever since his time with the Dodgers, Pederson has bounced around a lot, as most of his contracts have been one-year deals.
That includes his time with the Cubs in 2021, when he hit .230 across 73 games, connecting for 11 homers and driving in 39 before being traded. In the years since, Pederson has spent time with the Braves, Giants, and most recently, the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he continues to be more of a platoon player but has been getting more at-bats each season.
His two best seasons came this past season with the Diamondbacks and in 2022 with the Giants, as that is the Pederson many teams hope to have. From an average standpoint, Pederson has been a .241 career hitter, but in those seasons, he managed to hit .273 and .274, showing he can be better than he has shown.
Always capable of being a 25-30 homer guy with more plate appearances, Pederson has averaged roughly 17 homers and 52 RBIs per season due to his platoon role and is coming off a 23-homer and 64 RBI season. Again, it's not an ideal power bat, but a left-handed power bat that would add more thump to a Cubs lineup that desperately needs more power.
If either of these moves comes to fruition, it becomes almost guaranteed that the Cubs will be forced to move Kevin Alcantara, Owen Caissie, or Alexander Canario to ensure none of these guys are blocked long-term. It would also mean that Bellinger elected to opt out of his deal, which opens a spot in right field.
As crucial of an offseason as this is for the Cubs, their aggressiveness towards what players they want to sign hinges on the Bellinger decision, as he ultimately could decide how the team goes about this offseason. It's never a good thing to put the fate of this franchise in a player's hands, but the longer he takes to decide his future, the harder it will be for this team to make a move. Buckle up for what could be a stressful winter as the Cubs have their hands full this offseason.
