MLB player rankings confirm this theory about the Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs, since the Trade Deadline of 2021, have been a team bereft of superstar talent.

Throughout the past two off-season, the Cubs haven't dipped their toes in the deepest waters of MLB Free Agency. Given the fallout from the team's deal with Jason Heyward, it's unlikely Tom Ricketts will green-light the agreement required for the Cubs to land the top free agent available.

That's not to say that the Cubs haven't acquired talent.

Through opportunistic deals, the Cubs have been targeted with their approach. Through that approach, which some may call intelligent spending, the Cubs constructed a roster filled with players who play the game well.

That was the main takeaway from ESPN's ranking of the Top 100 players in Major League Baseball entering the 2024 season. What may be a surprise is that the Cubs came away with four players on the list.

43. Dansby Swanson
48. Cody Bellinger
68. Nico Hoerner
77. Justin Steele

The Chicago Cubs have a well-constructed roster but lack a true superstar player.

All four of the Cubs' players come toward the middle of the pack in terms of ESPN's rankings, but this is the expectation that fans can expect moving forward. The most significant difference between this recent rebuild and the one Theo Epstein successfully navigated through is that the Cubs won't use free agency to prop up their contention window.

The Cubs will be opportunistic with the free-agent deals they sign, and when the stars align, the team can come away with premium talent in Swanson and Bellinger.

However, Hoerner and Steele should represent what the Cubs are trying to accomplish more. The Cubs don't want to use their farm system to prop open a cracked contention window; they want to use their farm system to keep the window open for sustained success for the next ten seasons.

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