Cubs President Jed Hoyer is proving his genius with Cody Bellinger

In an offseason that has felt rather disappointing due simply to not coming to terms with Cody Bellinger at this juncture, the fact is that Jed Hoyer is playing the right cards regarding the future of the Chicago Cubs. Currently, Hoyer and Scott Boras are locked in a staring contest, but it's Hoyer whose poker face will cause his opponent to blink first. He is in a win-win situation, proving his genius through it all.

Hoyer can either help the team compete more by landing Bellinger to a deal he likes, or he will pass and not get locked into a long-term, overpriced deal the other teams have been doing in the past two offseasons. Either way, Hoyer allows himself multiple paths to success. The Cubs President of Baseball Operations knows that Boras will eventually have no choice but to fold and negotiate a short-term deal. Hoyer will have the upper hand when multiple teams come back and have interest in a shorter contract, given that Bellinger would rather play with the Cubs than once again start anew elsewhere.

Fortunately, per Bob Nightengale, he believes no other teams are seriously interested in signing the Comeback Player of the Year. Nobody should be at the price point that Boras has set. As an agent should, Boras is holding out to get the best possible price for his client, even if he knows it will be with the Chicago Cubs, and therefore, the Cubs' front office has no choice but to play the waiting game.

It's a fantastic point that it would be highly unwise for the Cubs to outbid themselves with Bellinger not receiving any other offers. Once the price point inevitably comes down, it's conceivable that he will wind up in Chicago. If a team were going ever so slightly to outbid the Cubs, they would have done it already.

Of course, it's hard to remain patient, as this process has dragged on for months. It's important to remember when we want to say, "Come on, Jed, sign him already!" It's Boras who is dragging his feet with making a deal. With national media keeping rumors swirling and spinning opinion-based topics to get readers reading, one thing is still true: The Cubs are still the favorites to re-sign Bellinger.

What about those comments from Tom Ricketts regarding the Chicago Cubs' payroll?

Although it left a bad taste in our mouths, Ricketts' comments for the meantime have nothing to do with landing Bellinger this winter. Yes, it's disturbing to think that a major market team like the Cubs will always use the first tier of the luxury tax as a soft cap.

Brett Taylor over at Bleacher Nation wrote a piece mentioning how the Cubs still have about 30M in payroll, which is more than enough to land Bellinger and even another reliever such as Ryne Stanek.

Either way, Hoyer is not jeopardizing this team down the road. If you had your choice of signing a free agent to a bad contract or no deal at all, it's always right to pass and search for other ways to improve your current roster. With money to spend before the year begins, the Cubs have yet to make their final offseason splash.

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