Cubs plan on approaching multiple players with extension offers this winter

It feels like a lifetime ago that contract extension rumors between the Chicago Cubs and budding star outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong were a major storyline. While Jed Hoyer didn't single out the All-Star center fielder when talking about potential offseason extension talks, it stands to reason PCA will be among the group the front office explores deals with this winter.

My hope and expectation is that we'll have extension talks with a number of players this offseason. My hope and expectation is that you never find out about it. But, yes, we have a number of players we'd like to keep long-term and we'll have those conversations.

Again, Crow-Armstrong isn't the start and end of that list - other players that could make sense as extension candidates include the likes of Cade Horton, Matt Shaw, Nico Hoerner, Michael Busch and more. Given the Cubs' aversion to long-term, high-dollar free agent signings, locking up younger homegrown talent could be a major component to building a sustained winner on the North Side.

Cubs could explore a Pete Crow-Armstrong contract extension

Hoyer said his team would have conversations about bringing four-time All-Star Kyle Tucker back into the fold via free agency, but that feels like a long shot. After talks with PCA stalled in the spring during his breakout first half, he came crashing back to earth down the stretch, but still mustered the first Cubs 30-30 season from a player not named Sammy Sosa.

Still, his price tag may not be quite as astronomical as it might have been had he maintained his torrid early-season pace over the course of 162 games. Busch quietly turned in a huge year, earning a Gold Glove finalist selection and finishing with 34 home runs and 90 RBI, despite serving as the Cubs' leadoff hitter for a good chunk of the season.

Horton was arguably the best pitcher in baseball in the second half before a right rib fracture ended his season. With Jameson Taillon under control for just one more year and uncertainty surrounding Shota Imanaga's future with the team, locking the young right-hander up to a long-term deal could solidify the rotation outlook moving forward.

There are a lot of moving parts for the Cubs this winter. If Tucker walks, how will Hoyer replace his production? Will it usher in a youth movement? Could those prospects instead be packaged up to shore up the pitching staff? We'll see. But it sounds like extension talks are definitely part of the equation heading into the offseason.