Jed Hoyer’s bold Cubs offseason hints just got real thanks to Jeff Passan

The indication from the Chicago Cubs this offseason has been that they are ready to spend at the top of the market for their need for a starting pitcher. While there remain naysayers that the Cubs will follow through on the lofty expectations, ESPN's Jeff Passan dropped his offseason predictions that further suggest the Cubs are serious about adding a frontline starting pitcher this offseason.

While talking through the pitcher to get the largest contract this offseason--Framber Valdez, Dylan Cease, and Tatsuya Imai all get a mention--Passan mentions the Cubs in a group that includes the New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, and Toronto Blue Jays as teams looking to spend at the top of the market.

If you're keeping track at home, that is now Bob Nightengale, The Athletic's Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney, and Passan, who believe that the Cubs could be willing to swim in the deep waters of free agency this offseason for a starting pitcher. Separately, ESPN Chicago's David Kaplan suggested that the Cubs would not be players for the big names in free agency.

The Cubs continue to get mentioned as a team looking at the top of the market for a starting pitcher.

It could also be a matter of semantics. It's certainly possible that Kaplan's report is referring to names such as Kyle Tucker, Kyle Schwarber, and Cody Bellinger. Regardless of the reporter, the consensus does seem to be that the Cubs are avoiding the position players at the top of this offseason's free-agent class. That would certainly be in line with what Hoyer has said directly about the team's plans.

While there very well could be a willingness from the Cubs to come away from this offseason with one of Valdez, Cease, or Imai, it would be a safe assumption to say that they won't be the team to set the market. It likely will require one of those pitchers going off the board before the Cubs get serious about finding a deal that fits with their otherwise stubborn approach. It could also see them pivot to Michael King or Ranger Suarez as potential fallback options.

Fair or not, the table has been set for the Cubs to land a big-ticket starting pitcher this offseason. Failure to do so would be repeating a mistake the team made at the MLB trade deadline, when they ignored their need for a starting pitcher only to be forced to use bullpen games during the playoffs.