3 reasons the Chicago Cubs won’t spend big in free agency

If the Chicago Cubs choose not to spend this winter, it certainly isn’t because the funds aren’t available. Even if ownership balks at the idea at returning to pre-pandemic spending, Jed Hoyer will still have north of $100 million to spend this winter.

The team has just three guaranteed deals on the books heading into 2022: Kyle Hendricks, David Bote and Jason Heyward. Ian Happ and Willson Contreras both figure to get decent raises in arbitration, but other than those two, it’s a lot of league minimum and low-risk guys making up the roster.

But that doesn’t mean Chicago will make a major splash this winter, either. There are several things that could stop Hoyer from opening Tom Ricketts’ checkbook this winter, as much as it pains Cubs fans to hear that.

Chicago Cubs: A prospect group that’s still several years away

Adding some star power to the roster is intriguing, to be sure. But if you look back at the guys Chicago added at the trade deadline, nearly all of them are nowhere near ready for the big leagues.

In the deals that sent Joc Pederson, Anthony Rizzo, Andrew Chafin, Kris Bryant and Javier Baez packing in July, Hoyer targeted a mix of young, high-upside prospects. The same approach was applied in the Yu Darvish trade last December; rather than going all-in on a hyped talent, Chicago netted a prospect package of young players who definitely fit into the high-risk, high-reward category.

All this to say the Cubs infused some badly needed talent into the farm system. But the timelines most of these guys have just doesn’t line up with an all-in, high-dollar approach this winter. The front office could just as easily look for one-year flyers on guys they can hopefully flip next summer before really putting their foot on the gas heading into 2023.