Chicago Cubs Expected To Only Spend Moderately on Free Agents This Offseason

Don't expect the Chicago Cubs to break the bank this offseason

Sep 15, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell (30) in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs are heading into the offseason after a solid 2024 campaign where they finished just over .500. 

While it wasn’t a bad season for the Cubs in 2024, they also weren’t really in the playoff picture.

However, this is a young team that has a lot of talent on the way, so the future looks bright. 

Coming into free agency, there was some early speculation that Chicago would be active on the market this offseason. With a need for a big bat in the middle of the lineup, the Cubs could have looked to address that need with a number of different options.

But, due to Cody Bellinger surprisingly opting in to his contract for next season, the Cubs might be hesitant to spend on a big bat this winter. 

With how much teams around the league will spend being in limbo right now, Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report recently ranked teams in different tiers for his predictions.

Chicago was placed in the tier of a contender who would just spend moderately.

“This most inexplicably applies to the Cubs, who didn't even bother to try to get a meeting with Juan Soto. The way president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer operates under the Ricketts Family is how you end up with a roster that has a lot of nice pieces but a lack of superstars. Even if you believe there's such a team as a small-market team, the Cubs certainly wouldn't fall into that category. But they always seem to stop short of spending like a team from Chicago should.”

Seeing the Cubs not being in on the Juan Soto sweepstakes is certainly disappointing, as Chicago shouldn't be giving off a small-market team vibe. 

While they might just spend moderately, they do have some needs to address.

Adding another power bat would be ideal, but unless it comes from a trade, it doesn’t seem like they will be spending that type of money to address it in free agency. 

In the starting rotation, the Cubs are in pretty good shape.

After Kyle Hendricks left as a free agent, adding a fifth starter is really their only need there. 

The bullpen is a bit of a different story.

Chicago could certainly do some upgrading here in free agency, as they could use a closer and some strong arms. If they are going to spend moderately, that seems like the most likely place they do it. 

While the Cubs might not be big spenders, they can certainly upgrade this team via trades with their plethora of prospects in the farm system.