5 free agents who absolutely will not sign with the Chicago Cubs

Despite the best wishes of Chicago Cubs fans still smarting from the team’s July dismantling of the core, Jed Hoyer doesn’t look or sound like he’s ready to swim in the deep end of the pool this offseason.

This year’s free agent shortstop class isn’t just good – it’s the best in the history of baseball. But the top two guys in it are almost assuredly going to be playing somewhere other than Chicago come Opening Day 2022 in Corey Seager and Carlos Correa. Before we get into the longtime Dodgers shortstop, let’s touch base on the Astros’ former first-rounder.

Sorry, Chicago Cubs – Carlos Correa to the Tigers makes too much sense

On Thursday, Correa was spotted having a lengthy breakfast with Detroit Tigers manager AJ Hinch who, of course, managed the Platinum Glove shortstop in Houston from 2015 to 2019 before the sign-stealing scandal resulted in the Astros parting ways with him.

After a one-year suspension, Hinch returned as skipper of the Tigers and led the still-ripe club to a solid 77-85 mark in 2021. Now, with the front office and ownership ready to spend, it looks like Detroit is ready to make Correa the new face of the franchise.

As Jeff Passan noted above, yes there is a lot of offseason left – with more uncertainty than we’ve seen in some time due to the expiring CBA and virtual certainty of a labor stoppage. But this makes too much sense to not come to fruition in my mind.

Could the Cubs use someone like Correa? Absolutely. Are they going to pay him the $350 million it’ll likely take to bring him to the North Side? Based on Hoyer’s public comments already this winter? No chance.

Chicago Cubs, Corey Seager make sense – but team’s unlikely to pay $300 million

Like Correa, Corey Seager could be a perfect fit for what the Cubs need – a young, controllable superstar with both large market and postseason experience. Unfortunately, also like Correa, he’s going to cost you north of $300 million.

In other words, for all the same reasons Correa isn’t going to end up in a Cubs uniform, neither will Seager – despite early reports connecting the two here in the offseason. Seager has reportedly drawn interest from several teams, namely his former club the Dodgers and the ever-present Yankees.

If it comes down to it, Hoyer (and owner Tom Ricketts) aren’t going toe-to-toe with an organization that seemingly prints money like Los Angeles. His fit in New York, where he could vie for a second World Series ring as soon as 2022, is irrefutable, as well.

Much the same as Chicago will look to reclamation projects and at least slightly less impactful arms when rebuilding the rotation, I suspect any reinforcements we see as far as position players go will be similar in that regard.

In other words, we’re talking Andrelton Simmons or maybe Javier Baez – not Correa or Seager.

Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw will want no part of a rebuilding Cubs team

I’ve said it too many times to count and I’ll say it again. The Chicago Cubs will focus their entire offseason around their dire need for starting pitching.

But that does not mean they’re about to shell out tens of millions of dollars a year to aging veterans like Clayton Kershaw or Max Scherzer. Prior to the news of Justin Verlander’s return to Houston on what essentially amounts to a two-year, $50 million deal, I’d have lumped him in this same bucket.

These guys are magnificent – all likely future Hall of Famers. But they’re in the twilight of their respective careers and aren’t about to subject themselves to playing for a rebuilding Cubs team in their final years. It’s just not going to happen. Now, you might say, “Well, Chicago could overpay and make it happen.” No. Not even then.

There are countless teams who will be in the hunt for these guys – most of whom will prove far more enticing to guys looking to make a last World Series run or two than the North Siders. So, again, yes, the Cubs need pitching. No, the reinforcements aren’t coming in the form of a future Cooperstown-bound ace.

Holding your breath on an Anthony Rizzo-Chicago Cubs reunion? Don’t.

The back-and-forth between the Cubs and Anthony Rizzo over the last four months was really shocking. Of course, this spring, the longtime Chicago first baseman balked at a five-year offer from the team and shut down all future talks just like that.

(Now that deal’s looking pretty sweet given the paltry interest we’re seeing in four-time Gold Glover, at least in terms of a long-term deal, but that’s neither here nor there).

Then, after the Cubs traded him to the Yankees the day before the deadline, a tit-for-tat emerged via the media between Rizzo and the front office. Hoyer put the onus on Rizzo, Bryant and Baez for not singing extensions with the team – and those comments will undoubtedly haunt him if he has any remote hopes of bringing one of them back.

I always viewed Rizzo as our second ‘Mr. Cub’. But after everything that transpired this season, it’s hard to envision a scenario where he comes back to Chicago, especially on a long-term deal when there’s such little interest in one out there for an aging first baseman with a balky back.

All of these represent scenarios where I’d love nothing more than to be proven wrong. Seriously, I’d be happy to eat some crow. But I just don’t see Hoyer kicking off his regime by bringing in any of these free agents this winter.