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

This Chicago Cubs team has a lot of holes that need addressed

As fun as it would be to make a couple huge splashes with a Max Scherzer or Carlos Correa, the simple truth is this: even with those two in the mix, this roster isn’t built to win a championship – or even compete for one.

Sure, you might sneak into the postseason with a division crown – but that’s not the goal. Spending $60+ million annually on two guys isn’t the answer, at least not with the roster in its current state. This offseason should help the Cubs start moving in the right direction, and several questions getting answered is the first step.

Chicago will either extend or trade Willson Contreras in the coming months. If you can’t get a deal done here, you’re even further from contending given the alternative options behind the plate. Was Kyle Hendricks’ abysmal 2021 an aberration or legitimate regression? Who will round out the rest of the rotation?

Is Ian Happ the guy we saw flail about at the plate for three months to open the year or the one who finished scorching hot? Can Patrick Wisdom maintain his power while reducing his swing-and-miss tendencies? Is Frank Schwindel the real deal or did we just see a feel good story that’s run its course?

The long and short of it is this: this Cubs team has too much uncertainty, faces too many questions and has too many holes to think a big signing or two fixes will fix things. If Hoyer spends, as he put it, “intelligently,” this winter – the team might be better served.