Cubs Rumors: Team never even made Carlos Correa an offer

The hits just keep on coming for the Cubs. Well, if the roster-building effort continues as it has to this point this offseason, the hits could actually, once again, be lacking for an offense that ranked 19th in the league in knocks last season. But the gut punches of disappointment have been coming left and right for fans desperate for the front office to make a major splash this winter - and the latest one is a real doozy.

Cubs never even made an official offer to Carlos Correa

According to a new report from NBC Sports Chicago's Gordon Wittenmyer, the Cubs - in dire need of some offensive firepower and a face of the franchise - barely scratched the surface in talks with Carlos Correa, never even making the 28-year-old a formal offer prior to his signing with the San Francisco Giants.

Wittenmyer hits it dead on the nose in his piece, calling out the front office's 'tepid' approach to the offseason - one that has left fans seething as the winter wears on.

"And the Cubs’ behavior in the face of those factors has been tepid at best — a failure of downright biblical proportions if second-tier starting pitcher Jameson Taillon and upside-gamble Cody Bellinger wind up being the centerpieces of their winter."

Gordon Wittenmyer, NBC Sports Chicago

I have no doubt the market has pushed player's price tags far higher than every front office and ownership group in baseball would have liked or anticipated. But Jed Hoyer continues to dig his heels in, refusing to adapt and putting the Cubs at risk of turning in one of the most disappointing and ineffective offseasons in recent memory.

Meanwhile, as Wittenmyer also points out, mid-market teams like the Padres and Twins are making quality offers to key free agents. Top Cubs catching target Christian Vazquez turned down a near-identical offer from Chicago to join Minnesota instead, which sends a damning message in and of itself.

Will Correa's contract age well? Who knows. Thirteen years is a long time and he's got a history of some back issues, but the AAV he got from the Giants is going to be more than palatable in a few years' time ($26.9M AAV). The long and short of it is this: the Cubs' inability or unwillingness to adapt is indefensible - and if this report is accurate, I'm not sure how anyone can defend the front office any longer.