DALLAS – Superstar Juan Soto’s signing Sunday night didn’t quite serve as a starter pistol signaling the beginning of a race. The starting pitching market in particular was already in motion. But his record deal with the Mets nonetheless kicked off the winter meetings with a bang.
“It was a busy morning,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said Monday. “Exactly as expected.”
That doesn’t ensure a tidal wave of Cubs transactions over the next few days. Hoyer predicted that he and his team were more likely to lay the groundwork for significant moves in Dallas and finish them after departing.
“There’s just more chatter,” Hoyer said of the aftermath of Soto reportedly agreeing to a deal worth a jaw-dropping $765 million over 15 years. “There were five teams that were actively locked in on one thing, so that frees that up. And just in general, a lot of discussion of the contract, a lot of discussion of how that changes things. So, that did pick things up.”
Using a nine-inning game as a metaphor for the offseason, Hoyer estimated that the Cubs are in the fourth or fifth inning. They’ve added to their rotation with the signing of veteran left-hander Matthew Boyd. They traded for reliever Eli Morgan and backup catcher Matt Thaiss. And as of Monday evening, they were working toward a deal with catcher Carson Kelly, sources confirmed.
The bullpen will be a focus for the Cubs moving forward. They’ll continue to evaluate ways they can add to the rotation. For example, according to sources, they still plan to pursue Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki, who was posted Monday for MLB teams by his Nippon Professional Baseball team, the Chiba Lotte Marines. And, likely later in the offseason, the Cubs will address their bench.
The Cubs were not one of the teams involved in the financial arms race for Soto, the best available free agent this year. The Mets, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Dodgers and Yankees reportedly all made offers.
“There’s nothing that precludes us from being involved in those [top of the market] players,” Hoyer said. “We, organizationally, decided not to pursue that one. Doesn’t mean in the future we won’t.”
Now, the four teams spurned by Soto are moving on to their next options. That shift could change the landscape for a potential trade candidate like Cody Bellinger, an outfielder and offensive threat.
“When it comes to the outfield, whether it’s prospects, whether it’s major-league players, we have depth there,” Hoyer said. “But we also have really good players there. So, every year I talk about this, but depth is really valuable. And we can move guys around to do different things. So if a deal comes to us that makes sense to trade out of our surplus, we can do that – but only if it makes sense for us.”
As the roster stands, the Cubs have four everyday players to rotate through three outfield positions and the designated hitter spot. Bellinger can also play first base. Toward the end of last year, he was the Cubs’ primary right fielder, making Seiya Suzuki almost exclusively the DH. But Hoyer said he isn’t expecting that setup next year.
“Ideally, you can kind of move guys through the DH spot,” Hoyer said. “Having a set DH, unless that guy is a David Ortiz or an Edgar Martinez, I feel like it’s best, generally, to let guys move around and use it as a day off. So I don’t see us having one set designated hitter.”
Two of the Cubs’ Top 6 prospects, Owen Caissie and Kevin Alcántara, are also outfielders and on the 40-man roster. So, when Hoyer talks about depth in the outfield, it’s extensive. That doesn’t, however, absolutely guarantee a trade involving the Cubs’ outfielders.
Cubs’ prospect capital in general, providing both trade pieces and ways to back-fill positions, expands their trade options. So, it’s no wonder Hoyer was busy Monday morning.
“We’ve been active in trade discussions,” Hoyer said. “A lot of discussions today. We’ll have a lot of discussions over the next few days.”