For 99 days, Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and the front office prepared for the free-agent frenzy that would ensue once the lockout ended.
Major League Baseball and the players association agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement Thursday. The time crunch will force teams to quickly try to fill out their big-league rosters before the season starts. The Cubs open the season April 7 at Wrigley Field versus the Milwaukee Brewers to kick off a four-game series before going on a six-game trip to Pittsburgh (April 12-13) and Denver (April 14-17).
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Players on the 40-man roster, including Cubs teammates Patrick Wisdom and Nico Hoerner, again worked out at the MLBPA’s setup in Mesa, Ariz., on Thursday morning. Hours before a deal was announced, both were optimistic an agreement would be in place soon. Hoerner admitted to being on Twitter more frequently the last couple of days to track updates.
“Just really grateful for fans that are going to stick with us through this time, and I’m right there with you,” Hoerner said. “I want to see great baseball being played, and we all want to play.”
The Cubs roster needs work and certainly isn’t in its final form — at least it shouldn’t be. They still have four notable areas to address on their big-league roster.
1. Left-handed power hitter.
The most glaring hole offensively is the lack of power from the left side. The Cubs need more than Jason Heyward and his declining power production (7.1 XBH% in 2021, lowest since 2017), while the switch-hitting Ian Happ’s inconsistencies make it difficult to project what version they can rely on.
Heyward and Rafael Ortega might be used in platoons, making Happ the only projected everyday player who would give the Cubs a left-handed look against right-handed starters.
Cubs fans likely wouldn’t mind seeing a reunion with Kyle Schwarber, especially with the designated hitter now in the National League under the new CBA. Schwarber should command a big deal in free agency, and the Cubs might not be interested in the type of contract it would take to bring back the 2016 World Series champion. Former New York Mets outfielder Michael Conforto is another free agent who fits the profile, averaging a .468 slugging percentage and 124 OPS+ in his career despite coming off an average season. Eddie Rosario, who hit a career-high 32 home runs in 2019, is a potential option who likely wouldn’t require a long-term deal.
Finding a match via trade is also an avenue. Someone who fits a profile like the New York Yankees’ Joey Gallo, a free agent after the season, would be attractive for a Cubs front office that wants to maintain financial flexibility the next couple of years with a short-term/impending free agent.
2. Back-end relievers and bullpen depth.
Losing right-hander Codi Heuer to season-ending Tommy John surgery Monday is a big blow to the back end of the bullpen. Heuer could have filled a variety of roles for manager David Ross: setup man, multi-inning weapon, closer.
The Cubs already needed to add to a bullpen that has a lot of questions. Some combination of Adbert Alzolay, Keegan Thompson, Justin Steele and Alec Mills can be used in similar bullpen roles as last season for whoever doesn’t make the rotation. Among the relievers on the Cubs’ 40-man roster, only two appeared in more than 20 games (Tommy Nance and Rowan Wick).
Bringing in veteran relievers is a must. Manny Rodríguez, Brad Wieck and Scott Effross are intriguing internal options, but the Cubs have a lot of work to do to build a good bullpen.
3. Middle infielder/utility player.
Barring making a massive splash in signing free-agent shortstops Trevor Story or Carlos Correa, the Cubs are set up the middle with second baseman Nick Madrigal and shortstop Nico Hoerner.
Both of their injury histories are concerning, however. It makes having a quality backup middle infielder/utility bench player even more important, and David Bote’s offseason surgery on his left shoulder, which he dislocated in May, makes his early-season availability uncertain.
Signing an experienced infielder would be insurance for Madrigal and Hoerner. It would allow Ross to use Hoerner in center field as well and move Wisdom to a corner outfield spot if he looks for matchup advantages.
4. Figure out their designated-hitter options.
The universal designated hitter is official. After getting a taste of the DH in the NL with the modified pandemic rules in 2020, the position is back in the new CBA. Cory Abbott has the honor of being the last Cubs pitcher to record a hit in the NL’s pre-DH era.
The most likely scenario involves the Cubs addressing the DH opening with internal options. The Cubs expressed wanting to better manage catcher Willson Contreras’ workload, and using him occasionally as the DH would help achieve that balance. The Cubs can use the DH as a rest option for other players and have several outfielders they could rotate in therole, including Clint Frazier, Happ or Ortega, along with Wisdom and Frank Schwindel.
In an ideal scenario, acquiring an everyday slugger in the DH spot would alleviate some concerns about the Cubs offense. The more likely setup would feature rotating players based on that day’s starting pitcher while keeping players’ workloads in mind.
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