Chicago Cubs: What if the team really does nothing this winter

Chicago Cubs fans assumed the team would make moves this offseason, but so far nothing has happened. What if they really stand pat before spring training?

Three months ago, as the Chicago Cubs were coming off a disappointing 84-78 season that saw them miss the postseason for the first time in five years, fans believed that plenty of changes would be coming. Indeed, Joe Maddon left and we got a new manager in David Ross, but it seemed to be a given that there would be plenty of changes to the roster.

Yet here we are, almost a week into January, and despite all the speculation about who the Cubs may sign or acquire via trade… nothing has actually happened. No significant free agent signings. No trades. No signing players to extensions. Nothing. By far, the biggest story has been non-tendering Addison Russell.

Two big reasons why the Cubs have done virtually nothing this offseason are that the team was over the luxury tax threshold last season and wants to trim payroll and that they are handcuffed by the Kris Bryant situation, as it’s hard for any potential trade talks to materialize when interested teams don’t know for sure whether the star third baseman will be a free agent in one or two years.

We keep hoping that, maybe once one (or both) of those situations gets resolved, then maybe the Cubs will be able to at least make some changes. Yet with time running out quickly, Cubs fans are looking at the real possibility that the team will make no significant moves before spring training begins in a little over a month. We’re still waiting on a Bryant ruling, while if the team wanted to trim payroll via trade, their options are narrowing.

So, what if we go into spring training with the roster as is currently constructed? It’s not something that most fans will be happy with, but let’s take a look at what the team would look like.