Chicago Cubs Rumors: 3 corresponding moves if Eric Hosmer signs

On Saturday, we learned from Jon Heyman that the Chicago Cubs were making progress with Eric Hosmer and that although a deal wasn't final, things were looking promising. With the San Diego Padres on the hook for Hosmer's contract, the Cubs will only be responsible for the league minimum to acquire his services. He poses no real risk and provides the Cubs some upside towards the bottom of the order.

Thinking about that contract, the Cubs land a slightly above-average bat throughout most of his career; Hosmer's minuscule price tag allows Jed Hoyer to allocate funds elsewhere to bolster an area of need further. Is Mancini the more efficient bat at this point? Perhaps. But for $700k vs. $10MM, I'll take the guy that bats nearly .280 for this career and sacrifice the pop in the bat if I can still upgrade elsewhere. Let's look at three corresponding moves the front office can make after landing Hosmer.

3 corresponding moves: Cubs add another bat

After landing Hosmer and savings funds, the truth is, the Cubs can go and add another bat and bolster the offense even further. There are only a few viable options that move the needle at all, but there is still enough to get some production on the cheaper side and produce a feasible lineup come the start of the season. Names that come to mind are David Peralta, Tyler Naquin, Adam Duvall, and Corey Dickerson are still out there, as well as Raimel Tapia.

If the Cubs do go with another bat, I'm banking on it being an outfielder that can be there for platooning if needed. Expect any more offense post-Hosmer to be on a one-year deal to not further crowd the outfield and give the front office more problems than they already have. They could use a third baseman, but options are few are far between, and if you're adding another bat, It's time to take the best available at this point.