Chicago Cubs News: Kodai Senga Signs, shortstop update, and more

Chicago Cubs News: Free-agent shortstop update

In his latest for The Athletic, Sahadev Sharma calls the idea of the team signing Carlos Correa unlikely given the current market structure.

"Ultimately, the contracts being handed out this winter likely indicate Correa will get the type of deal Hoyer just isn’t comfortable with. Perhaps his thinking shifts with the market. The fit makes a lot of sense. But for where the Cubs are and what they’re building toward, that type of contract may not be what Hoyer is looking to do this winter. Correa still can’t be ruled out. But unless his market dries up, it’ll take an out-of-character move from Hoyer to pay what it would take."

- The Athletic

At some point, there is going to be a player on which Hoyer will need to make an out-of-character decision. With Correa, there is a sense for the Cubs of if not now, when? Correa is the exact profile of the player that the team needs to add this offseason. The market is the market. It is on front office officials like Hoyer to adapt to the current trend,

Within the same article, Sharma mentions the idea of the Cubs focusing on pitching and defense and through that lens, Dansby Swanson is mentioned.

"The Cubs are going to add more pitching and they almost certainly will find another defensive stalwart to make sure Yan Gomes isn’t getting the bulk of the innings behind the plate. But if this is the plan — and in listening to Hoyer and watching this market unfold, it appears to be the most likely — signing Dansby Swanson feels imperative."

- The Athletic

At this point, if the Cubs do not sign Correa, they need to sign Swanson. Swanson likely will receive a contract that exceeds the previous expectation but the market is the market and the Cubs can not afford to miss on all four of the premium free-agent shortstops that were available.