Cubs will have to bust out the checkbook for Carlos Correa

For the second time in as many years, Carlos Correa is poised to test free agency, all but confirming he’s going to opt out of his deal with the Minnesota Twins in comments he made this week.

"“I go to the Dior store. When I want something, I get it… I’m the product here. If they want my product, they’ve just got to come get it.”"

He made these remarks in response to a question about what the Twins can do to bering him back in 2023 and beyond – but you can read between the lines and infer that he’s got his sights set on the contract that evaded him during last winter’s lockout-crippled offseason. We heard he wanted something in the neighborhood of 10+ years and $350 million last time around – but he was also coming off an MVP-caliber campaign in his final year in Houston.

Some around the Twin Cities believe the asking price hasn’t fallen at all, though, with a recent podcast saying that it’ll take just one ‘idiotic owner’ to pony up that kind of contract – singling out Cubs’ president and owner Tom Ricketts as the likeliest one to take the plunge.

Ten years is a long deal – and I think the Cubs would still prefer to sit in the seven-ish year range. It’s not the money that’ll stop something from getting done. It’ll be the years. After all, the longest free agent deal in franchise history, which belongs to Jason Heyward, is drawing to an unceremonious end, with the veteran poised to be released with one year left on his contract.

Cubs will have their pick of the litter in this winter’s shortstop free agent class

Correa has always made a ton of sense for the Cubs. After all, he’s still very young as far as superstar free agents go. having just turned 28 here in September. He’s got a lengthy postseason resume (in fact, this is the first year since 2016 he hasn’t played in October) – and a history of some big-game performances.

Now we shouldn’t read too much into this. Correa may have been the first one to come out and say it in such plain terms, but all these guys (Correa, Xander Bogaerts, Trea Turner, Dansby Swanson) are all going to be eyeing major paydays this winter. Of course, there’s a sizable gap in what I think someone like Swanson will net in a new deal as opposed to Turner or Correa, but we’re not talking chump change with any of these players.

With next to no long-term obligations on the books and a young prospect core on the rise, the upcoming offseason seems like the perfect time for the Cubs to flex their financial muscle once again with an eye on returning to the postseason as soon as next fall.