AP Photo/Matt York

The Rundown: GM Meetings Kick Off 2025 Season, Bellinger’s Return Hamstrings Flexibility, Cubs Expected to Add Pitching

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterNovember 4, 2024

“Maybe you had too much too fast or just overplayed your part.” – Grateful Dead, Shakedown Street

Though we’ve barely had a chance to collect our breaths following the Dodgers championship run, the 2025 season commences this afternoon with the GM Meetings. Last year’s November surprise swapped David Ross for Craig Counsell, though the results were nearly identical. Counsell finished with the same record as Ross, but the Cubs fell further behind in their pursuit of a division championship or Wild Card berth.

Still, the Cubs are a team to keep an eye on at this week’s event in San Antonio. The front office seems destined to sign or trade for another starter and would like to add a catcher, too. The bullpen needs an upgrade and Chicago is still seeking left-handed power. The team’s main problem is that its lineup is set at every position. It’s also worth noting that Jed “Answers Must Be Internal” Hoyer is entering the final year of his contract, and it seems a potential extension is not up for immediate discussion.

Chicago’s first order of business is deciding which players will be non-tendered. The Cubs have 14 arb-eligible candidates, and the need for future flexibility could mean several players will not return. Justin Steele is a 100% lock to be tendered a deal, and he should also be extended, if possible. Isaac Paredes will likely be kept, but it wouldn’t be shocking if he isn’t. He’s projected to get $6.9 million in arbitration which feels a little borderline given his mid-season struggles. Julian Merryweather and Nate Pearson should return, but Mike Tauchman, Adbert Alzolay, and Patrick Wisdom could be victims of Chicago’s roster crunch.

This is a pivotal offseason for Hoyer and the Cubs. The top executive’s search for sustainable competitiveness has been an empty endeavor despite Chicago’s acclaimed prospect depth. Like the parent club, the farm system lacks a franchise-altering superstar, though Cade Horton, Owen Caissie, and Cam Smith have that type of potential.  Hoyer is going to have to balance that promise against a roster that is jam-packed with too many immovable assets. Another season of threading that needle will appeal little to the team’s fanbase, but that’s the current state of the franchise, at least for now.

Cubs News & Notes

Odds & Sods

It was the best of times…

Ball Four

Hoyer said that the Cubs have to put their players in a position to outperform, and Bellinger will be example number one. The outfielder hit a respectable .266/.325/.426 with 18 home runs, 78 RBI, and a 109 wRC+, but respectable isn’t good enough. Then again, most of Chicago’s lineup posted honest numbers, which serves as an indication of the team’s limited potential. Hoyer will, once again, try to turn lead into gold to lead Chicago to the postseason for the first time in half a decade.

Feelings of dread and disappointment going forward are palpable and Bellinger’s decision further limits Hoyer’s ability to improve Chicago’s roster. It also means that the Cubs will compete in 2025 without a franchise cornerstone in their lineup. If 90 wins is the bar, the president of baseball operations needs to squeeze seven additional wins from a team that we can safely say is an 83-win contingent.

The buzzword of the upcoming offseason is creativity because if we are making a fair assessment, Hoyer deflected his responsibilities directly onto the group of players he’s selected. Most front offices know that adding seven wins is an expensive if not near-monumental task. Asking the players to eclipse the shortcomings of the team’s architect seems like a puzzling offseason game plan. Chicago is coming off consecutive .512 seasons and will head to Arizona in February with mostly the same cast of characters. Here at Cubs Insider, we’ll get to analyze the minor adjustments Hoyer makes to the fringes of his roster. I can hear most of you yawning in anticipation already.

I’m here to rescue you with the hottest of takes, however. How about trading Parades and Nico Hoerner, and signing Eugenio Suarez to a one or two-year deal while moving Matt Shaw to second base? Suarez could protect Bellinger in the lineup, thus helping the outfielder to outperform his projections. That type of creativity would also allow Hoyer to stash Smith and Caissie for another year.

Central Intelligence

Monday Stove

Several top free agents are considered locks to receive a qualifying offer, including Juan Soto, Alex Bregman, Pete Alonso, Willy Adames, Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, Teoscar Hernández, and Anthony Santander. All are expected to reject those offers.

Sean Manaea will reportedly opt out of his $13.5 million salary to become a free agent. The Mets will likely tender him the QO.

If Rōki Sasaki is posted he will inspire an all-out pursuit reminiscent of Shohei Ohtani in December 2017.

A top prospect linked to the Padres falsified his paperwork so his agreement was terminated.

The Royals signed Michael Wacha to a three-year extension with a club option for the 2028 season.

Evan Drellich of The Athletic wrote that broadcast uncertainty will create a negative impact ($) on franchise valuations.

Bear and Bear Alike

Play it Again, Sam

Does any major city have a collective of sports ownership groups as bad as Chicago does? It’s a sad state of affairs if Tom Ricketts and his family are the best of the bunch. Worse, nobody is a close second.

Extra Innings

The Cubs don’t need free agent Anthony Rizzo to play first base but their bullpen could use a shot on the arm. Plus, they’ll need a secret weapon when they face the Dodgers in next year’s NLCS.

Crazy Is as Crazy Does

The Hot Stove Season officially begins at 5 PM ET today with the GM Meetings, while tomorrow gifts us the NFL trade deadline and of course, the quadrennial “most important presidential election of our lives.” SNL had a fantastic take on the latter over the weekend.

They Said It

  • “I’m just super excited for [Bellinger], for what he means to our group. He’s gonna go out there and play a bunch of right field for us and be able to hit right in the middle of our lineup and do what he does, and drive in runs. It’s huge for this group, and what he means for us, not only as a baseball player, but as a person and as a teammate.” – Happ
  • “How do we put our players in a position to outperform? How do we put them in position to continue to improve? I think that is the focus. Because ultimately, our players are going to have sort of a baseline level of talent. They’re going to project a certain place. How do we create an environment where they can outperform and do better? And I think that’s the time we spend on it. We have to beat projections. We have to have players outperform. Because, like I said, ultimately, having players outperform, having players beat those projections, that’s how you have the season that we want to have.” – Hoyer

Monday Walk-Up Song

Chris Isaak wrote this song in 15 minutes, and it became his only hit. This proves, at least to Hoyer, that you can win with little effort.

 

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterNovember 4, 2024
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