Every other team in baseball has made some player move since the end of the 2023 season. It’s time for the Chicago Cubs to make their offseason moves. With the new year comes resolutions. Throw out the old, in with the new. Chicago’s Northside team should be following this same policy. They have their new manager in Craig Counsell. GM Jed Hoyer and the rest of the front office should be looking at moving forward with some movement before the end of January. Therefore, here are five New Year’s resolutions the Cubs should make to ensure 2024 ends better than 2023:
5 New Year’s Resolutions for the Cubs
Re-Sign Cody Bellinger
Cody Bellinger might be the biggest name left out there but that should not prohibit the Cubs from signing him. Unlike with Juan Soto, Bellinger only costs money. The Cubs would not need to give up any of their prized prospects ready to join the major league ballclub. The rumors coming out of the Boras camp are that Bellinger is looking for more than $250 million, which might be an overpay. However, without re-signing Bellinger, it will take at least two players to reproduce last year’s productivity next season.
Sign Rhys Hoskins
Similar to Bellinger last offseason, Rhys Hoskins will be looking for a “prove-it” deal after missing the entire 2023 season with a torn ACL suffered during last spring training. The Cubs should be able to shore up a corner infield position for at least the 2024 season at a reasonable rate.
Sign Shōta Imanaga
A reminder that Shota Imanaga has 10 days left to to sign with a MLB team before his window closes.
— Jimmy Randazzo (@JimmyRandazzo) January 2, 2024
Although he doesn’t have the same degree of fanfare as the new Dodger Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shota Imanaga should still be able to slot in as a reliable starter for whichever major league team ends up signing him. Don’t forget, Imanaga was the winning pitcher against the USA in last spring’s World Baseball Classic. He has a wipeout splitter that should allow him to get swings and misses. Imanaga would certainly take the place of the departed Marcus Stroman.
Promote the Kids
The Cubs have given fans a tease of what is to come. Although several names may be a year or more away from being consistent contributors, they need to play in the big leagues. Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cade Horton, Ben Brown, Jordan Wicks, Caleb Kilian, and Luke Little need to see time early on and show that they belong.
Act Like a Big Market Team
Last year, Jed Hoyer used the term “intelligent spending” when addressing the future of free agent signing. The Dodgers just spent over $1 billion in the last month. The Mets and Padres both have payrolls in excess of $300 million. The Yankees traded for Juan Soto. These are all moves endemic to big market clubs. With several years of saving, 2024 needs to be the year some of the Ricketts’ money goes to their assets. It started well with the hiring of their new manager. Now it needs to continue before pitchers and catchers report in six weeks.
Photo Credit: © Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
