One NLCS free agent may have priced himself out of the Chicago Cubs reach

The biggest issue when it comes to Jed Hoyer's roster construction of the Chicago Cubs is his inabillity to supplement the starting lineup with the right pieces.

Whether it was the ghosts of Trey Mancini, Eric Hosmer, or Garrett Cooper, Hoyer, in recent seasons, has elected to take fliers on veterans nearing retirement with the hope that there could be a spark left in them.

No matter the change-of-scenery guy that Hoyer brought in, there were almost always better options out there. That was the case last offseason when slugging outfielder Teoscar Hernández sat on the free-agent market while teams pursued other options.

Finally, it was the Los Angeles Dodgers who swooped in and signed Hernández to a one-year deal worth $23.5MM. The Dodgers, naturally, deferred some of the cash owed to Hernández, creating an ideal scenario for taking a flier on an offensive player.

The risk that the Dodgers took paid off. Hernández is a large part of the reason why the Dodgers are playing in the National League Championship series. This season, Hernández slashed .272/.339/.501/134 wRC+ with 33 home runs.

Combine that with Hernández's 171 wRC+ in the postseason, and the free agent will be set to get paid this offseason.

Teoscar Hernández will be sought-after free agent this offseason.

The Cubs were never part of the Hernández conversation last offseason given their preference to bring back Cody Bellinger to an outfield group that already included Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ.

After his season with the Dodgers, Hernández is the type of impact bat that the Cubs need to add to their starting lineup this offseason. The concern with that need that the Cubs have is that the team may be inclined to not fully address the offense, with the hope that Owen Caissie can be part of the solution. If that is the case, the Cubs will likely steer clear of the contract demands that Hernández will rightfully have.