Cubs may have a Randy Arozarena opportunity that their spending plans could complicate

October is often speculation season for teams not still in the playoffs, and that has already started for the Chicago Cubs. The Tarik Skubal dream was kept alive earlier this week, and now, it seems that intel from a Seattle Mariners beat writer has the Cubs among the teams expected to be interested in Randy Arozarena.

Right there with Seiya Suzuki, Arozarena is expected to be among the top bats available in free agency this offseason. He had a career year in 2026, slashing .281/.381/.484, with 26 home runs and a wRC+ of 151. For reference, Pete Crow-Armstrong's wRC+ was 157. In other words, Arozarena had a very good 2026.

The impression from the Seattle Times' Ryan Divish is that the Mariners will likely extend a qualifying offer to Arozarena, but won't be the team to sign him in free agency. Divish reports that Arozarena prefers to play on the East Coast, and cites the Cubs, Red Sox, Mets, Yankees, and Phillies as teams with a "known need for a right-handed hitter".

Cubs linked to Randy Arozarena but familiar spending priority might suggest otherwise

The framing is curious, considering every message from Jed Hoyer through the early weeks of the offseason is that the Cubs will be focused on pitching. So much so that there's a belief that the Cubs could be willing to open the 2027 season with both Matt Shaw and Pedro Ramirez as starting outfielders. Considering the money that will be involved with the Cubs rebuilding their pitching staff, the math may not point to a pursuit of Arozarena.

So, it's a question of if Divish simply sees that the Cubs are losing Seiya Suzuki, Carson Kelly, and to a much lesser extend, Ian Happ this offseason, and connects the dots to them being in search of right-handed hitting. Possible. Or, has he specifically heard that the Cubs will be in search of right-handed hitting this offseason? We may never know.

For as promishing as Shaw and Ramirez have looked at various times over the last two years, it's hard to believe that the Cubs, in the middle of their contention window, would just ignore the step back they would take offensively if the young versatile infielders shifted into full-time roles in the outfield. Perhaps, once the sting of how the Cubs' pitching came up short during the final weeks of the regular season wears off, there will be more of an awareness of the offensive need that exists this offseason.

That said, if it does, it's still hard to point to Arozarena as being the player they would chase. Suzuki is a right-handed hitter, and very much remains what the Cubs would be missing if he were playing elsewhere next year. He would be the player to focus on, assuming there is somewhat of a shift in thinking that the offense can't be completely ignored.

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