Chicago Cubs: Five free agents the team needs, but can’t afford

The Chicago Cubs don’t look to be big spenders during this offseason yet again.

The funny (or not so funny for Chicago Cubs fans) thing about free agents is they aren’t free at all- in fact they can end up being some of the pricier options for any team. For a club like the Cubs that hasn’t looked to sign any big names or big contracts in the offseason since the splurge for Yu Darvish and Tyler Chatwood after the 2017 season, free agency has basically been a matter of waiting around and bargain shop after every other team has picked through the racks for all the latest styles, colors and sizes.

The Cubs don’t figure to be any more involved in serious free agent acquisition this winter than they have been in the past couple seasons, a fact that is very near if not dear to our hearts. Cubs fans were aware their club wasn’t really spending big money before there was a worldwide pandemic and before MLB made it public how painful the loss of revenues has been to all clubs around the league this season.

Not much is going to change until there’s a cure or vaccine, as clubs won’t be able to recoup money from tickets, concessions, advertising, etc. at pre-COVID levels until all businesses and Americans are back to work for good. Since that future is as uncertain as the clubs, who knows what kind of money the club will spend and what kind of decisions they’ll be making this offseason. It was already going to be an interesting offseason of possible trades, outright releases, and maybe even a cheapy/advantageous extension or two.

What it will be with the fiscal, political and health uncertainty we face in 2020 is anyone’s guess. That being said, however, here are five guys the Cubs could use… just don’t get too excited because they probably won’t be able to afford them this offseason.