Let's rule out several Cubs free agent fits based on likely contract demands

With holes to fill on the roster and money to spend, the Chicago Cubs should be a big player this offseason. That being said, all signs point to a measured approach with very little deviance from Jed Hoyer's standard operating procedure.

Over at The Athletic (subscription required), this winter's top 40 free agent board dropped and the Cubs were connected to four players: Jack Flaherty, Sean Manaea, Tanner Scott and Jeff Hoffman. I strongly encourage everyone to check the piece out as it offers a nice 40,000-foot view of this winter's free agent class - but I have to disagree with a few of the names here.

I disagree not because they don't make sense for the Cubs' needs this offseason. All four would make the 2025 team a more well-rounded, competitive bunch. But when you overlay how Hoyer methodically approaches free agency, it feels safe to say we can probably rule out three of the four names on this list.

The one who could conceivably still come to Wrigleyville is Flaherty who, unattached to draft pick compensation, could be the legitimate rotation addition the Cubs are reportedly seeking. On the heels of a World Series title with the Dodgers, the 29-year-old right-hander would give Craig Counsell a powerful trio atop the rotation along with Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga.

The story with Scott and Hoffman is pretty clear-cut. Hoyer and the Cubs don't give multi-year deals to relievers - and both of these guys are going to get just that on the open market. Scott is projected for a four-year, $56 million deal by MLBTR and Hoffman, a four-year, $44 million pact. Even during the Theo Epstein era, during which Hoyer was GM, the approach was centered around reclamation projects, bounceback candidates and, frankly, strength in numbers - hoping that a handful of guys step up and separate themselves from the pack in spring training.

Either one of these guys would be a huge get for Chicago and could help the team avoid another first-half bullpen implosion that ultimately cost them a chance at the postseason in 2024. But barring a dramatic change in approach, the only way they pitch at Wrigley next season is as a member of a visiting team, coming out of the right-field bullpen.

With Manaea, it's a similar story. The fit is there - he's a really solid pitcher who seemed to figure something out after watching Chris Sale throw a bullpen and adopting his cross-body delivery. He made 32 starts for the Mets this season, averaging just over a punchout per inning and giving New York more than it could have hoped for after it brought him in on a one-year prove-it deal last winter.

There are multiple ways the Cubs could improve this offseason. But it's near-unimaginable to me that Hoyer is going to turn everything upside down and change his entire approach to roster-building - especially with his job potentially on the line.