This surprising Chicago Cubs rumor makes no sense with misguided area of need

With the World Series underway between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs fans are closer to the Hot Stove season beginning.

With the burners on the Hot Stove beginning to be primed, many national experts are beginning to put out their predictions for Major League Baseball free agency. Free agency seems to be an unlikely avenue for the Cubs to take this offseason as it's more likely that the team will use their prospect capital to acquire talent under team-control already.

That is why the prediction from Erik Beaston of Bleacher Report doesn't add up to what the Cubs will be looking to do this offseason. In talking about St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt's impending free agency, Beaston makes the case that the Cubs will be a part of the mix for the veteran.

Still, he has enough left in the tank to garner the attention of teams this offseason. One such team is the rival Chicago Cubs, who will look to improve at first base, where Michael Busch had similar stats but lacks the veteran leadership and experience that Goldschmidt would bring to the organization.

Goldschmidt's struggles last season are a large part of the reason why the Cardinals are expected to go through a reset over the course of the next two seasons. In 654 plate appearances this season, Goldschmidt slashed .245/.302/.414/100wRC+ with 22 home runs. At age 37, Goldschmidt's 2024 season was the worst of his career.

Given that fact and the power regression Goldschmidt has had over the course of the past two seasons, there doesn't seem to be a scenario where the veteran first baseman makes sense for the Cubs.

Also, the Cubs aren't looking to improve at first base this season. Busch's 119 wRC+ during his first full season at the Major League level silenced the previous need that the Cubs had at first base. The Cubs need power, not a first baseman. Signing Goldschmidt would be a disastrous move for the Cubs.