AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez

The Rundown: Hoyer’s Offseason Path Too Familiar, Cubs Dominate Pipeline Prospects List, No Takers for Flaherty So Far

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterJanuary 25, 2025

The Cubs may or may not be on the periphery of some big news, but they remain baseball’s biggest talking point outside Los Angeles. With that in mind, I thought I’d do a Saturday Rundown before pivoting to the NFL for Bears Insider. This stretch of cold weather also leaves me more attuned to the hot stove, both literally and figuratively. Like everyone else, I’m still trying to figure out if Jed Hoyer has a direction and if he’s decided to head that way.

The big news of the week has been, in order of importance, Alex Bregman, Ryan Pressly, and David Robertson. The common denominator is one year of control. Pressly will be a free agent after this season, Roberston won’t get a multi-year deal, and Bregman will get an opt-out after 2025 in all likelihood. Deciphering that data provides a couple theories, admittedly with more holes than incriminating evidence:

  1. Hoyer is always going to be a thread-the-needle executive.
  2. The president of baseball operations may be under pressure to make the postseason since he’s in the final year of his contract.

The Cubs tend to govern the upward mobility of their best prospects to the point of fatigue, much to the chagrin of most fans. The Brewers and Braves are examples of teams that push their players aggressively, and it’s worked well for both franchises. The rule of thumb used to be that success at Double-A guaranteed a trip to the majors. Instead, the Cubs use Triple-A as a vital developmental step. Only Nico Hoerner, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Porter Hodge have had accelerated paths, so Hoyer continually buys time for everybody else by attacking free agency in search of short-term deals.

Unless he is extended, Kyle Tucker will be a stopgap for Owen Caissie and/or Kevin Alcántara. Bregman would hold a spot for Matt Shaw unless Hoerner is traded and Shaw slides over to second. One-year deals for relievers are part of Hoyer’s Bullpen 101 standard operating procedures.

Adding Bregman, Pressly, and/or Roberston adds to the theory that Chicago’s front office has a propensity for moving forward in half-measures. Signing Matthew Boyd might not have been necessary if the front office had more faith in Cade Horton, Ben Brown, Jordan Wicks, and Javier Assad, who has to fight for a rotation spot each spring. He’s a proven, successful starter, full stop.

Likewise, signing previously successful veterans at key positions could indicate added pressure to make the playoffs. Hoyer isn’t going to spend like the Dodgers or Mets, and Tom Ricketts won’t let him. The Cubs are favored to win the NL Central, and Bregman, Pressly, and Roberston do provide the cushion of 5-7 additional wins, making the path to the division crown a little less bumpy.

Trading Hoerner just to acquire Bregman would be a mistake, however. Moving Shaw to second base also means moving him back to third next season or eventually trading James Triantos. That smacks of continually threading the needle, which is what happens when a front office favors value over production.

Cubs News & Notes

Odds & Sods

Flaherty induces an exaggerated chase rate thanks to his slider and knuckle curve. Looks like they nicely complement that four-seamer, but is it a fortuitous happenstance, or is he just that good?

Central Intelligence

  • Milwaukee: If the Cubs sign Bregman, it might create a nightmare scenario for Brewers fans.
  • St. Louis: The Red Sox are one team that might be a match for the Cardinals on a Nolan Arenado trade.
  • Cincinnati: The addition of Terry Francona alone makes the Reds one of baseball’s most-improved teams, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney. The Reds were 15-28 in one-run games last season. Remember when we thought Craig Counsell was that type of difference-maker?
  • Pittsburgh: An 11-year-old kid spurned colossal offers from the Pirates and Livvy Dunne for a one-of-a-kind Paul Skenes baseball card. Pittsburgh offered season tickets behind home plate for the next 30 years, a softball game for 30 at PNC Park with coaching from Pirates alumni, a spring training experience “like no other,” including a private tour, a meet-and-greet with Skenes, two autographed jerseys from the rookie, and a batting practice session. Dunne added a seat next to her in her private suite for one home game. If you’ve ever watched Let’s Make a Deal, you know you never trade everything behind Door Number Two for the envelope in Monty Hall’s hand.

Saturday Stove

Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio is poised for a 30-30 season, but I think we’re looking at 30-40 or better.

The Nationals announced that they’ve reached an agreement on a two-year deal with left-hander Shinnosuke Ogasawara.

Francisco Lindor is hoping that the Mets will end their stalemate with first baseman Pete Alonso before losing him to another team.

Alonso could pivot to the Blue Jays if he and New York’s front office can’t find common ground.

The Red Sox are probably the favorites to sign Bregman.

Orioles owner David Rubenstein favors a hard salary cap in the next CBA.

Extra Innings

That’s one nasty curveball from Pressly.

They Said It

  • “That’s what people always ask. ‘You’re in the last year. Are you guys going to do things differently?’ It’s like, of course not. That’s not my job. This is about the fans. This is about Chicago [and] the Cubs. These things are so much bigger than me. I’m not going to make decisions that impact a city or a fan base based on my self-interest.” – Hoyer

Saturday Walk-Up Song

I don’t like the idea of signing Bregman and potentially trading Hoerner.

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterJanuary 25, 2025
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