MESA, Ariz. — The Chicago Cubs’ first press conference on spring Sunday took just 78 seconds, as front office executives were asked about topics that continue to saturate sports talk in Chicago.
Will the Cubs make a massive acquisition before the first day, or specifically will they sign free agent three-base Alex Bregman?
“Unknown,” said Jed Heuer, Cubs president of the baseball business. “I think you’re always looking for opportunities, but for now we’re going to focus on the people we’re in camp, that’s the plan.”
The press conference lasted another 30 minutes, with almost all questions hinting at the Bregman or Cubs pay. And no matter how many times it was raised, directly or indirectly, GM Carter Hawkins from Hoyer and Cubs did not provide any clues.
The reality is that the Cubs are already favoured to win NL Central, and even fleeing following Pekota’s predictions to end the four-year postseason drought.
Follow all MLB games: Latest MLB scores, statistics, schedules, and rankings.
Will Bregman make them a legitimate force?
“What clubhouse he’s not in,” said Matthew Boyd, a veteran Cubs starter, and said, “He’s trying to make that team better. The guy is the winner. Everyone tells you. Sho.”
However, the Cubs continue talking about Agent Scott Bolas and Bregman, but there is no indication that the Cubs are willing to offer a three-year deal. There is also no indication that Bregman will dramatically lower his asking price when he already has at least one six-year offer on the table.
The Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros have all offered to Bregman for at least four years, but no one is willing to meet his asking price.
The Astros offered Bregman a six-year, $156 million offer in November, and they say the door is open for the reunion, but they are openly pessimistic.
The Tigers and Red Sox have been making their interest clear over the winter, but have not offered offers that are lucrative enough to meet Bregman’s requirements.
The fact that Bregman remains signed led the Cubs to ask at least about the possibility of signing him. Perhaps he is willing to offer the best yearly sal if he is willing to accept a short-term contract.
The Cubs’ forecast salary is $191 million, far below the $241 million luxury tax, and of course, well below the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets and New York Yankees pay, well below the $300 million.
Cubs owner Tom Ricketts claimed the Cubs lost money last year, and said they were unable to compete financially with those teams, raising the rage of annoyed Cubs fans.
“I think our fans somehow have all these dollars the Dodgers have, the Mets have,” Ricketts said at the Cubs tournament last month. Try breaking it every year. ”
Hoyer was asked whether spending, especially by the Dodgers and Mets, was bad for baseball’s competitive balance, but he refused to get caught up in the debate.
“I don’t think you want my opinion on whether it’s good or bad for baseball,” Heuer said. “I’m not going to give that opinion. Those teams are National League teams. These are the teams we play. These are teams that could potentially win a playoff spot in the National League. For the game I think it’s a good thing.
Certainly, Hoyer has to turn to Bregman’s third baseman, rather than having to rely on his job safety much less, their best prospect Matt Shaw, every day. We realize that if we are allowed to provide a check, it will be much easier.
Hoyer, who has been with the Cubs for the past 14 years, is in the final year of the contract without talking about a potential extension. If the Cubs either win NL Central or at least win the playoff berth, he is expected to come back. If they miss the playoffs again, Hoyer will likely run out of work. It’s the baseball business.
“Do you feel that it’s different from the past? A little bit,” Heuer said. “I’ve been here for 14 years, and in general, in my career, I’ve not had that much uncertainty. So I think uncertainty is at a level of anxiety.’t .
“Did that spark some introspection along the way? I think it’s fair to say it.”
Hoyer admits that last year’s 83-79 season was a bitter disappointment after spending $40 million on manager Craig Counsel. They may have over-achieved going 83-79 in 2023, but certainly not enough a year ago, finishing 10 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers, Team Counsel left .
“We thought we were better than we expected in 2023, but we thought we were honest,” Heuer said. “Our hope was that we would do it again, but not. I found it to be a very frustrating season. The goal is to create a postseason. did.”
Simply now it’s the playoffs or bust.
“It feels like the pressure is on the rise,” Heuer said. “I think we should probably be given the time we spent getting to this place. That should be a lot of fun.”
If the Cubs didn’t believe they would win the Division, they would certainly not trade Astros All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker and Latening rescuer Ryan. They bolstered the bullpen with six acquisitions, including deals between Dodgers’ Ryan Brager and Cleveland Guardians’ Eli Morgan. They signed Boyd to $29 million over two years and filled out the rotation.
“I think we’re definitely a better team,” Counsel said.
Bra is about to become the first player to win the World Series alongside the Red Sox, Dodgers and Cubs.
Boyd said:
Still, despite their optimism within their spring training complex, Cubs fans are screaming even more, especially Houston’s particular third base hand stirring rumors in Chicago.
“We’re in the entertainment business,” Heuer said. “I think there are some unfounded rumors in reality. That’s the nature of this business.
“People care about us very much. They want us to be a really good team. They want to talk about that. They want to think about different possibilities. It’s It leads to a lot of rumors.”
So you’re saying there’s still a chance that Bregman could be walking through the doors of the Cubs clubhouse?
“I won’t rule out anything adding…” Heuer said without mentioning Bregman’s name. “From today, that’s the purpose. How do you try to strengthen the area you think is a weakness?
“I won’t rule out anything.”
X: Follow NightEngale at @BignyEngale