Robert Murray today offered up his free agent rankings list, which, hey, if you’re into the rankings part, enjoy. For me, I just like seeing which players are connected to which teams by an insider, and what the contract projections are looking like.
Of note to us, involving the Cubs …
The only teams Murray connects to Carlos Correa are the Cubs, Twins, and Orioles. I’m not saying the latter two COULDN’T come over the top with a huge contract, but if that’s how his market actually shook out, I’d like the Cubs’ chances. (Hey, they are the betting favorite, after all …. )
Trea Turner, who ranks ahead of Correa on the list, is set to get eight or nine years at $35 to $37 million annually, per “multiple evaluators.” The low end there is 8/$280M, and the high end is 9/$333M. You never say it can’t happen in free agency, but the high end there seems REALLY high. And I wonder if this is yet another signal that Correa might wind up getting less than Turner.
The Cubs are name-checked with Xander Bogaerts (and the Red Sox and Dodgers), who has obvious come up a lot lately in connection with the Cubs.
Murray says “a contract in the vicinity of Yasmani Grandal’s four-year, $73 million contract is certainly in play” for Willson Contreras. I would bet that’s the range Contreras is going to be targeting, and if it’s realistic, then he will be declining the Cubs’ Qualifying Offer tomorrow.
The Cubs are the only team name-checked for Jose Abreu, for whom an agent predicted a two-year, $45 million deal. We’ve seen quite a wide range on Abreu, but most predictions land on two years. I think once you start to get north of $40 million, it makes a little less sense, but I’m not saying the Cubs shouldn’t do it. Abreu otherwise is such an obvious fit for the Cubs right now.
The Cubs are also mentioned with Kodai Senga (no contract prediction), together with the Giants, Dodgers, Blue Jays, and Padres.