NEWSLETTER
I really don’t think Jesse Rogers’ shortstop-related takes this offseason have been that disconnected from anything anyone else is saying about the Chicago Cubs. I get the sense from folks that he’s seen as the most “down” on the Cubs’ chances at landing a shortstop, and maybe he is, but even he continues to acknowledge that the Cubs are seriously in this market. I think most of what he’s said has been fair.
His appearance on MLB Network today is just the latest:
Your main takeaways there from Rogers:
1.) Rogers is still hesitant to say the Cubs will “write the big check” to sign a top shortstop when it comes down to it, but they are involved. It’s real. The upper limit of what they’re willing to spend is the unknown right now, and previously, Rogers expressed some reservation that the Cubs would go to the levels necessary to land a Carlos Correa or a Trea Turner.
2.) Rogers is hearing more talk about Trea Turner and Dansby Swanson right now than Carlos Correa and Xander Bogaerts, but even that is fluid. It could be that it’s just a matter of the latter two being Scott Boras clients, and he’s waaaaaaiting things out. Or it could be that the Cubs are actually more interested in the first two. Impossible to say, because they seem to be in on all four.
3.) The Cubs aren’t as clearly close to winning as many other suitors, which arguably means their best selling point would have to be the money. That, in turn, means the Cubs would have to overpay to get one of these guys, according to Rogers. Then you pay for a guy’s best years when you’re not winning anyway. (I get the point, and it’s one I’ve made before, too. I just think I’d disagree that the Cubs are not close to being competitive – I think with the right moves, including adding an impact shortstop from this class, the Cubs can be competitive right away in 2023.)
I still feel like we are generally hearing the same thing from all sources on this topic: the Cubs are serious about landing one of these shortstops, but they are – for now, as we sit here on November 29 – not going to jump way out and lead the market on a monster long-term deal. Maybe in the end that means they don’t get one of these guys. Or maybe in the end that means they get a guy on a surprisingly short-term deal. Or maybe in the end that means each side bends a little bit, and all of this has been about preserving leverage for as long as possible.
In other words, I don’t think we can say, as we sit here today, whether the Cubs definitely are or definitely are not going to land one of these shortstops. All we can say for sure is that they are serious about trying to land one … without going crazy.
If you missed some of the earlier shortstop rumors, head over here.
(I’m going to encourage you to ignore Harold Reynolds’ comments at the end of that clip, by the way. In the offseason, when discussing a long-term deal for a player under age 30, it’s not a particularly compelling argument to say that the Cubs “aren’t one player away,” and thus should not add a good player. Psst: if you’re more than one player away, one way to address that is to … you know … start adding players.)
