2024 projections confirm this player is a great target for the Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs have yet to make an addition to their Major League roster this off-season and it's due to a variety of reasons.

It's important to remember that the free-agent market, as a whole, has barely ignited as there was a standstill while Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto made their free-agent decisions. The holiday week between Christmas and New Year's rarely results in significant movement and there is an expectation that beginning this week, the market could begin to move.

The players in the next wave that are expected to sign include Cody Bellinger, Rhys Hoskins, and Matt Chapman. The Cubs have been tied to each of those three players and this is the time that fans should be invested in the reporting as the players remaining on the market will have a direct connection to how the Cubs go about their off-season.

The New York Mets are also a team that the Cubs are keeping an eye on. After being dormant in Ohtani's sweepstakes and missing on Yamamoto, there is a possibility that the Mets look to move forward with the status quo for 2024 rather than push all their chips toward contending this season. If that's the case, then the Mets will undoubtedly look to trade first baseman Pete Alonso. Alonso is a free agent after 2024 and there have yet to be any contract extension talks with the Mets.

The Mets remain in the market for a cost-controlled starting pitching and there could be a fit with the Cubs if they are willing to include Hayden Wesneski and pitching prospect Ben Brown in the same deal.

Dan Szymborski recently revealed his 2024 projections for Alonso and the left-handed slugger remains a tremendous fit for the Cubs. Alonso projects to have a slash line of .252/.345/.517 with 40 home runs and 134 OPS+.

Those numbers would certainly play in the middle of the Cubs' lineup next season.

More Chicago Cubs News