Chicago Cubs Rumors: Carlos Correa remains top priority

The Chicago Cubs had an active Day 3 at the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings as the team signed free-agent center fielder Cody Bellinger to a one-year deal and free-agent starting pitcher Jameson Taillon to a four-year deal. The signings of Bellinger and Taillon prove that the Cubs are truly intent on spending to return to contention in 2023 and that is a positive sign in regard to the names at the top of their offseason wish list.

While Bellinger and Taillon certainly represent a nice start to the offseason, it remains pivotal to the Cubs' plans that the team is able to land one of the top three remaining free-agent shortstops. To that end, Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago reports that the Cubs remain focused on landing free agent Carlos Correa.

If the focus on the Cubs didn’t already center on Correa before Tuesday, it certainly does now. And sources suggest they’re as deeply involved in trying to land him as anyone this side of the Twins — despite a price tag widely assumed to be bigger than Turner’s as the youngest (28) of the four big-name shortstops and the only one of the group not tied to a qualifying offer and the consequent draft-pick compensation. “We have multiple teams and multiple offers that have come in, in the last few days,” Boras said of his two stars at the position. The Cubs are well down the road with Correa, a player they’ve coveted since an eye-popping workout at Wrigley Field before he was drafted No. 1 overall by the Astros in 2012. And they’re talking seriously with Atlanta free agent Dansby Swanson as at least a possible Plan B (while the Ricketts mandate lends credence to reports suggesting they could be in play for both).

For much of the past 12 months, Correa has remained consistent in his preference to play for a contending team. That is part of the reason why Correa may have not taken the Cubs' interest in him last offseason seriously. With the Cubs signaling that they are ready to both spend and contend in 2023, there is no doubt that the team certainly can sell Correa on the idea now that his addition would push them toward being legitimate postseason contenders.

Wittenmyer's report also notes that Dansby Swanson may be the fallback option for the Cubs while Xander Bogaerts may be garnering stronger interest from other teams. There is no question that either Correa or Bogaerts would be the more significant shortstop addition for the Cubs as opposed to Swanson. A successful offseason can still be accomplished if Swanson is the shortstop that the Cubs land but there would be more work required.