There are probably several different philosophies for improving a baseball team at the major league level, but I think it boils down to two basic ones: sign the best talent available and figure out who plays where as you go, or sign based on roster needs while allowing that the best possible players might not make the cut.
Teams also improve with help from the farm system, but in general I don’t think it’s wise to pin too much on that. For a team in a position like the Cubs — having gone 83-79 and missed the postseason by one game this year — their focus this offseason is going to be on taking the next step toward contention. A winning season in 2023 was progress, but in baseball it’s all about moving forward.
How the Cubs can do this could take either of the aforementioned approaches. They could pursue the best players on the market, like trading for Juan Soto and signing Shohei Ohtani. Or they could work on getting players like Pete Alonso and/or convincing Cody Bellinger to stick around.
The latter makes a lot of sense because Alonso fits a need the Cubs have at first base. Since trading Anthony Rizzo over two years ago, it’s been a parade of stand-ins at the position. Alonso is a perfect fit. He is only 28, so they could sign him to a long-term deal and lock down the position for years to come. He hit 53 home runs in his rookie year in 2019 and will get to 200 for his career in 2024, so Alonso will provide badly needed power in the Cubs lineup. Again, Alonso is a great fit for this team.
The other approach would keep us from moving on from Ohtani or Soto quite so quickly, however. Neither player would fill a roster hole for the Cubs, but in both cases we’re talking about supreme talent. Soto is only 25 and would be the best left-handed hitter the Cubs have had in years. Ohtani is a once-in-a-lifetime talent. Truly. If you’ve missed what he’s done in his career so far, spend the winter watching highlights. Signing Ohtani would be like signing two players. Yes, he had Tommy John surgery in September and won’t pitch until 2025, but he should be unrestricted as a batter next season. Even without his pitching, he’d instantly be one of the best players on the Cubs roster. But, like Soto, Ohtani doesn’t fill an obvious hole on the Cubs roster. He’d spend 2024 as a designated hitter and part-time outfielder. The Cubs don’t need that.
But the philosophy of signing the best talent available and trusting new manager Craig Counsell to figure it out would say none of that matters. If Soto can be had, you get him. If Ohtani can be had, you get him.
What I’d propose for the Cubs is a little different. I think the Cubs can adopt a hybrid of the two philosophies and better their roster tremendously in a single offseason.
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