The Chicago Cubs are getting set for an offseason where they may have to take some big swings in order to get back to contending following four consectuive missed postseasons.
As both ownership and Jed Hoyer know well, the product they have put on the field over the better part of the last decade has simply not been good enough. Hoyer can comment all he wants on the fact that the team needs to get better production from what's in the clubhouse already - and he isn't wrong - but as shown by the two teams playing in the World Series, the best clubs in baseball spend and acquire stars whenever they can.
Nobody is telling Chicago they have to go out and sign Juan Soto for $700 million - though it's nice to dream - but Hoyer cannot be afraid to shell out some cash to bring in better ball players and upgrade positions across the diamond. One potential area the team could upgrade is first base, and they could do it at the expense of a devastating blow to their most hated rival. Erik Beaston of Bleacher Report named the Cubs as a team to watch for St. Louis Cardinals legendary first baseman and 2022 National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt.
"One such team is the rival Chicago Cubs, who will look to improve at first base, where Michael Busch had similar stats but lacks the veteran leadership and experience that Goldschmidt would bring to the organization," Beaston wrote.
Goldschmidt may not exactly the player he used to be at 37 years old with numbers that have began to decline over the last two seasons, but even in the worst case scenario on a shorter term deal he is still extremely solid and has a ceiling infinitely higher than Busch. It doesn't hurt that just two years ago at 35 years old was the best season of Goldschmidt's long a storied career, a big statement for a player who's a seven-time All-Star and has finished in the top-ten of MVP voting six times.
Spotrac currently assesses Goldschmidt's market value as just a one-year deal worth $12.3 million, and while he could go for more than that, it's almost guaranteed to be a short-term deal coming at very little risk. Taking the face of the franchise for your most hated rival while strengthening your own lineup should be motivation enough for the Chicago to at the very least make an offer.
