NEWSLETTER
Well this sucks. I’m going to try not to get too hot about it because, overall, the Chicago Cubs have clearly done some very good things this offseason. But among the options left on the board for what the Cubs still need, Michael Conforto was a really great option.
But the Cubs aren’t getting him:
Well, unless the Giants flake out at the last minute because of Conforto’s physical (he missed the 2022 season following a shoulder injury and surgery), and then the Cubs can swoop in and sign him in the wee hours of the morning.
We’ll see if there’s an opt out in there, or if Conforto just decided to take as much guaranteed money as he could get. At $36 million total and $18 million per year, this is one of those “risky” deals that a major-market club can afford to risk. It’s a smart signing for the Giants, who’ve obviously missed on their more high-profile targets this offseason. They probably HAD TO get something like this done.
I still hate it for the Cubs. Conforto was not a perfect fit in some ways (a first baseman or third baseman would be a little easier to incorporate), but the Cubs just needed a bat with upside. And a lefty bat with power would’ve been all the better. Sure, there’s a chance Conforto is just toast after the injury and lost season (and he was down in 2021, too), but the Cubs are in a spot where they need to take chances for outsized wins. It’s why a guy like Cody Bellinger made so much sense, and a guy like Conforto would have, too.
More soon, but you can expect the Cubs to quickly pivot to trying to lock down Trey Mancini. That’d be my guess, anyway.
UPDATE: Just to confirm, there is indeed an opt out, which means Conforto got his best version of a deal, realistically speaking:
