The Chicago Cubs are in for quite the important and potentially expensive offseason this winter. They brought in Craig Counsell to be their manager last year, and with Counsell comes high expectations.
After failing to be competitive in the NL Central in 2024, the Cubs have their eyes set on top free agents this offseason. One rumor has connected Chicago to Juan Soto, the crowned jewel of this offseason. But, realistically, the Cubs will fail to bring Soto in — they just won't be willing to offer the money that the Yankees or Mets will.
So when the Cubs inevitably fall short of signing Juan Soto, they need to be focused on more realistic options. Which three upcoming free agents are much more likely for Chicago?
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The Cubs need catching help. That's a very known fact as we head into the winter months. Chicago tried a ton of different options behind 25-year-old Miguel Amaya last year, but none of them really stuck. Christian Bethancourt stuck out at the end of the year, but as Bethancourt enters free agency, his days with the Cubs are likely over. That means Chicago will need to target a free agent catching option to provide Counsell with a solid backstop in 2025.
The best possible option for the Cubs would be Danny Jansen because of how cheap he would be to acquire. The top two names on this list will cost a pretty penny to bring in, so it's best to try to keep the first name as cheap as possible.
Jansen slashed .205/.309/.349 last season while being an elite blocker on defense. His pop time isn't great, but he provides one of the best blocking skill sets in the game. The Cubs would be signing him under the idea that they think they could turn his career back around as a backup to Amaya. If they think he will continue to be a .200 level hitter, they would go for a guy like Elias Diaz, but because of the price tag, Jansen makes the most sense.
If the Cubs want to go for any outfielder, and it's likely they will be doing that, of course Juan Soto is the guy they want to land. But Chicago won't have the money for such an expensive superstar. Instead, they could target a player who can provide serious offensive firepower while costing $25-30 million per season.
Teoscar Hernandez of the Los Angeles Dodgers could make sense here. Last year, Hernandez slashed .272/.339/.501 with 32 doubles and a career high 33 home runs. Chicago desperately needs more impact bats in their lineup, especially playing in a park like Wrigley Field. Adding Hernandez would be a dream come true.
But Hernandez will likely have a very hot and active market this offseason. He took a one year, "prove it" deal with the Dodgers and did exactly what he wanted to do: prove that he deserves a long term deal. Now, teams like the Dodgers, Blue Jays and Orioles will be lined up to bring Hernandez to their doorstep for the next three to four seasons. The Cubs need to do what it takes to bring another 30-homer bat to their lineup.
All season, it was obvious that the Cubs needed to add a slugger to their lineup. Not only that, but Chicago needed an everyday first baseman as well. Because of this, they were heavily connected to New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso at the trade deadline. Ultimately, the Mets were too good to sell, deciding to hold onto Alonso through the year.
Once the Mets' season ends, Alonso will enter free agency. The Cubs will be one of the most aggressive teams in his market because he would be the dream player for them to land. Alonso smashes major league pitching, posting a career slash line of .249/.339/.514 with an OPS+ of 134 and 226 home runs. Alonso is averaging 43 home runs per 162 games played.
Teams like the Mets and Mariners will be very aggressive in bringing Alonso in. The Mets are going to be aggressive on Juan Soto, so it's hard to imagine they find the money to try to land both Alonso and Soto.
Chicago needs to be the most aggressive in pursuing him though. He would fill their biggest hole, and he would do it in a huge way. It's much more realistic than trying to sign Soto.
