The top Chicago Cubs free agent target just lost the World Series, which means he must now decide his next team.
Eyes around the MLB world will be laser focused on every move made by Juan Soto this offseason and the Cubs are no different. While Soto made waves after the World Series that he's open to all 30 teams, there are only a few that will be considered real contenders at the end of the day. Will Chicago be one of those?
In ranking the top landing spots for the megastar slugger, Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter made it clear that he believed the Cubs have a real shot by listing them at No. 3 overall.
"For a major market team with a payroll that ranked seventh in the majors in 2024, Chicago is sorely lacking in star-caliber talent and do not have a true face of the franchise right now. Soto could be that guy," said Reuter. "With one of the deepest farm systems in baseball, major market appeal and a glaring need for a face-of-the-franchise-level superstar, the Cubs can't be overlooked as a potential landing spot for Soto this winter."
All of these are true, but it was also the same thing said about Chicago last offseason. They missed out on all of their top targets, but actually ended up walking away with a solid player in Shota Imanaga.
It's hard not to get excited about adding a player of that caliber, though. Soto would immediately change the trajectory of this team from a borderline Wild Card team to a real contender for the World Series.
The 26-year-old is coming off of his fourth All-Star appearance in a season that saw him post a .288/.419/.569 slashing line with 41 home runs and 109 RBI.
It wasn't the best year of his career, but it was his best in a long time.
He looks primed to be the face of the team, but that wasn't the case with the New York Yankees. That could be a reason that he decides to take his talents elsewhere this offseason, despite getting so close to his second ring.
A lot of this could also depend on what happens with the Cody Bellinger contract, as they don't yet know exactly how much money would be tied up.
Soto is the type of player, however, that all available resources should be spent to sign. Especially for a team like the Cubs that seems to be on the brink of competing.
