After Jed Hoyer said the Chicago Cubs are looking to play matchups better than they did in 2024, there's a real chance they look to add Tanner Scott.
“We weren’t optimizing for individual matchups as much as we would have been, and you could feel it in the second half,” Hoyer said. “We oftentimes didn’t have the best matchup for a lefty, especially when Luke went out. So that is something that we’ll be actively looking for this offseason.”
Scott is the top reliever on the market.
One could make a strong argument that he might be the best in Major League Baseball, but for the time being, he's the best available.
That designation also comes with a massive price.
Some have projected he could be getting a $65 million plus deal, which isn't exactly favorable for the Cubs to pay.
Looking around Major League Baseball, some of the big reliever contracts haven't exactly panned out as expected which is something Chicago will have to keep in the back of their minds.
If Scott doesn't throw at the level he's expected to, that's a lot of money they could've used on an every-game player.
Nonetheless, the interest seems to be real.
The Cubs understand they need to shore up their bullpen, and David Schoenfield of ESPN thinks so too, naming them in his recent article as a club that could use him.
"The Philadelphia Phillies have two key relievers as free agents. Maybe the Padres look to re-sign Scott. The Mets have Edwin Diaz but need a setup guy. The Chicago Cubs and Diamondbacks could shore up their bullpens. Then we have the AL teams: The Yankees, for one, could have used a lefty reliever to deploy in the World Series."
Scott was named "the guy you need to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers," which is what Chicago should be working towards.
While it's fair to suggest the Cubs have a long way to go before they can compete with those types of teams, every move they make should help them prepare for October.
If they're willing to spend the money they'll need to land Scott, making the playoffs and competing for a World Series would be the bare minimum.
His market is expected to be heavy, but if teams aren't willing to give a reliever that type of deal, there's a chance it's not as vast as some expect.
If that's the case, Chicago could benefit from him getting a cheaper contract.
That'd be the best outcome.
