3 remaining free agents the Cubs must avoid at all costs

Even after adding Jameson Taillon, Cody Bellinger and, at long last, their franchise shortstop in Dansby Swanson, the Cubs still have work to do if they want to de-throne the Cardinals in the National League Central.

This club could use another big bat, perhaps an established arm or two on the staff to solidify things on that front and a catcher to pair with Yan Gomes after Willson Contreras joined St. Louis earlier this winter, signing a five-year deal to succeed future Hall of Famer Yadier Molina.

That being said, there are definitely guys the Cubs would do well to avoid as they put the finishing touches on the roster. Here are 3 guys we want no part of when it comes to next year's team on the North Side.

3 free agents the Cubs must avoid at all costs: #3 - Aroldis Chapman

Perhaps it's a twisted sort of romanticm, but Cubs fans love to look to the past when trying to address roster questions. Prior to the Swanson signing, a fairly significant contigent started beating the drum on a potential trade that would have brought Javier Baez back to Chicago after a disastrous first season with the Tigers.

Never mind the fact he put up just a .671 OPS in the first year of his six-year, $140 million deal. Just bring him back to the Friendly Confines and he'd, all of the sudden, recapture his 2019 NL MVP runner-up form. Uh-huh, sure. The same thinking applies to a potential reunion with left-hander Aroldis Chapman.

Chapman, once the most feared reliever in the game, isn't what he once was. Just ask the Yankees who left him off the ALDS roster after he skipped a team workout. Even prior to that incident, the 34-year-old just wasn't the guy he once was, evidenced by a 1.431 WHIP and 4.57 FIP in 43 appearances. Now, back on the open market for the first time since helping the Cubs erase a 108-year drought, he's no longer in that upper-echelon of relief pitchers.

Cubs fans surely remember what Chapman once was and the thought of adding that guy into the bullpen fold is more than understandable. But the simple truth is this: he's no longer that player - and looking to the past while building for the future is dangerous and a reunion with Chapman (not only for his decline but his past off-the-field issues) would be ill-advised.

3 free agents the Cubs must avoid at all costs: #2 - Brandon Belt

I'm not saying the Cubs won't add an insurance agency behind Matt Mervis at first base, but I can tell you it probably won't be another left-handed bat, which rules out something with longtime Giants staple Brandon Belt.

Belt, who has spent his entire 12-year career with San Francisco, played in only 78 games last year and slashed just .213/.326/.350 - a far cry from his .261/.356/.458 career line. He'll turn 35 in April and just doesn't check the boxes this Cubs team needs.

A sub-par defensive first baseman (he ranked in the 17th percentile in OAA) who struck out at a personal-worst rate in 2022 with a dismal xBA, it's hard to see a lot of upside here for a team like the Cubs. Chicago would be better served finding someone who can see some time at first, while also handling duties as a fourth outfielder or at the hot corner.

If Jed Hoyer doesn't add another bat (outside of a catcher, which is almost a 'must' at this point), the team would be better served rolling with Patrick Wisdom and Cody Bellinger as backup options at first while they evaluate Mervis. The dollars that could be allocated to someone like Belt or Yuli Gurriel could be better spent elsewhere.