Latest Juan Soto rumor gives Cubs fans faint hopes at an offseason surprise

We are inching closer to the always important October for the Chicago Cubs.

No, don't be silly, not an October where the Cubs are playing postseason baseball. The annual October when agents across Major League Baseball use the Cubs as leverage plays for other teams interested in the top free agents on the market.

Juan Soto will be no different.

Let's be clear, no team should need the threat of the Cubs being involved to entertain the idea of paying Soto whatever he commands. Soto, as the New York Yankees discovered this offseason, is the type of player that changes the course of an entire franchise.

By most accounts, the Yankees remain the favorites to sign Soto this offseason, but that didn't stop Jorge Castillo of ESPN from including the Cubs in a mix of teams that "could" make the call for Soto this winter.

It's a take that reads like a national writer not being informed of the outlook of a team considered a "big spender." Considering how cautious the Cubs have been with spending in recent seasons, they don't deserve the reputation of being a big spender. They also don't deserve the caveat mention of being involved in the sweepstakes for Soto.

Cubs' connection to Juan Soto won't extend past national speculation.

There are reasons why the Cubs should push all their chips toward the middle of the table in an effort to Soto. There are also reasons why the math doesn't math for the Cubs, considering the cost-cutting measures the front office has tried to take in recent weeks.

It would take a true offseason surprise for their to be true excitement about a Cubs' roster that has been an overwhelming disappointment for two consecutive seasons. The Cubs' front office has placed their faith in internal solutions, and it's a risky proposition for 2025, considering that faith has yet to turn into reality.