Chicago Cubs have laughable odds as Juan Soto free agency rumors begin

For fans hoping that the Chicago Cubs would ignite their contention window with a surprise signing of Juan Soto this offseason, Jed Hoyer has a bridge that he would like to sell you.

Hoyer's front office has become great at ruling out moves without officially saying that they won't do something. The latest evidence of this was when Hoyer mentioned a few weeks back that he is more risk-averse than others when it comes to signing a player to a $300MM+ contract. There have even been subtle suggestions that Hoyer, entering the final year of his contract, may not have the full financial backing of the Cubs' ownership group.

More or less, considering the Cubs have yet to sign a player to a $200MM+ contract in the history of their organization, it seems unlikely that this will be the offseason where the team returns to spending at the top of free agency. That would be the reason why Jon Heyman gave the Cubs laughable odds when it comes to the pending free agency of Soto.

Not exactly big spenders.

Odds: 40-1

There you have one of Major League Baseball's prominent insiders calling out the Cubs and their lack of spending.

The issue for Hoyer is when he willingly chooses not to spend as if the Cubs are not in the third-largest market in Major League Baseball; he needs to be perfect at his execution of living on the margins. That is the area that Hoyer has failed at significantly in each of the past two seasons. What makes those failures even more grand is that even though he shies away from spending on top free agents, the Cubs are expected to go over the luxury tax this season--a season where they are expected to miss the postseason for the fourth-consecutive season since Hoyer took over.

Soto is not in the cards for the Cubs' offseason plans, setting the stage for another deflating offseason from the team's front office.