SAN DIEGO – Conversations throughout the marble-floored hotel lobby all at once turned to shortstop Trea Turner as reporters, agents and MLB team personnel checked their buzzing phones to see the news Monday afternoon: Turner and the Phillies had agreed to terms on an 11-year, $300 million deal.
Just like that, the seal on the shortstop market was broken as Turner became the first of the Big Four free agent shortstops off the board.
Now, it’s time for the Cubs to make a statement.
“Sometimes it just takes some deals at the top coming off,” Hoyer said Monday evening, the first day of winter meetings, “to sort of ‘break the ice’ and free people up to do deals.”
He added that did not see Turner coming off the board as an indication of how quickly the shortstop market may move, citing individual preferences and expectations.
The Cubs weren’t expected to make the first move on the free agent shortstop market, but they have been players in this year’s shortstop sweepstakes.
As of Monday evening, Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson were still available. Even before Turner committed to Philadelphia, the Cubs were showing the most interest in Bogaerts and Swanson.
Of the two, Bogaerts, a five-time Silver Slugger, comes with the more consistent track record at the plate. He’s hit .295 or better for the past four seasons. Swanson, a Gold Glover, has the stauncher defensive profile.
Meanwhile, Correa – who can’t be counted out – is expected to garner the largest financial commitment. He re-entered the free agent pool by opting out after the first year of the record-breaking three-year, 105.3 million deal that made him the highest-paid infielder by average annual value in MLB history.
“Being strong up the middle is really important,” Hoyer said, “And I think that’s obviously something we’re talking about a lot.”
Those “up the middle” positions include catcher and center field, other needs on the Cubs roster.
Hoyer said the Cubs have made “multiple” offers to free agents. He would not specify how many. The Cubs still plan on talking to other teams about possible trades, but at this point of the offseason, “almost all of [their] focus is on free agency.”
Hoyer has repeated his desire to “compete” in 2023. What better way to signal to the Cubs fan base – not to mention the rest of this year’s free agent class – that it’s not just talk, than to sign a big-name free agent.
The Cubs have the large market and financial flexibility to make it happen.
They also have a lot of work ahead of them.
A source confirmed the Cubs pursued former White Sox first baseman Jos? Abreu in free agency. Now that Abreu has signed with the Astros, inking a three-year contract worth about $60 million last week, the Cubs’ most obvious avenues for making a statement are on the shortstop and starting pitcher markets.
The latter has picked up speed in recent days.
On the heels of Jacob deGrom signing with the Rangers for five years, $185 million late last week, three more established starters agreed to new contracts in quick succession.
On Sunday, Mike Clevenger inked a one-year, $12 million contract with a mutual 2024 option with the White Sox. Monday morning, news broke that Clayton Kershaw was returning to the Dodgers (one-year, $20 million contract) and Justin Verlander had agreed to terms with the Mets (two-years, $86 million deal, with a vesting third-year option).
Your move, Cubs.