Chicago Cubs Rumors: Offer to Xander Bogaerts to be submitted today

The Chicago Cubs are expected to make a formal offer to Xander Bogaerts within the coming hours of day one of the winter meetings. Marino Pepen broke the news earlier this afternoon and though the Cubs may have a ways to go before actually landing Bogaerts, the fact remains: The Cubs are being aggressive.

Hopefully, the offer is enough to blow Bogaerts away, and he accepts the way we saw Jacob deGrom accept the Texas Rangers offer without returning to the New York Mets for a follow-up. One thing is for sure. The Cubs have the luxury of outbidding teams if they choose to do so. Their projected payroll sits around 100.0MM under the luxury tax. For one, you want to avoid burning yourself, in the long run, the way you did with a Jason Heyward contract. But to be fair, Bogaerts has always played at an elite level. The Cubs must get this deal done, as he is a significant domino to fall in the right direction for any team that signs him.

A career .292/.356/.458, the four-time All-star and five-time Silver Slugger could be mere hours away from donning Chicago Cubbie blue, and he is a welcomed addition to a team desperately trying to push itself toward contention in 2023. Jed Hoyer knows the time for urgency is now. This is precisely the type of splash he needs to not drop the ball this offseason for the Cubs. If you land a Bogaerts, other free agents are immediately keen on the idea that Chicago really is trying to compete as soon as next season.

The Chicago Cubs are stepping up their pursuit of Xander Bogaerts.

Looking at a potential lineup that starts with Nico Hoerner, Ian Happ, Xander Bogaerts, and Seiya Suzuki is a fantastic place to start for next season. However, it is only the beginning. The Cubs have a lot of work to do, and it is absolutely imperative they land a big fish this winter. Many needs will be addressed this winter. Landing Bogaerts is a surefire way to lead yourself to a winning offseason and to set yourself up beautifully for the future.

With a report that an official offer is swiftly on its way, it's time to put to bed any doubts that Jed Hoyer and company aren't focused on bringing a winning culture to Chicago sooner rather than later. After a very fair offer to Abreu and now reports that the Cubs are hot on the trail of Bogaerts, this winter is shaping up to be a good one for the Cubs.