Cubs Could Pursue Elite Starter After Front Office Did 'Favor' For Superagent
One of the most important additions that the Chicago Cubs were able to make this offseason was getting their slugger Cody Bellinger back with the team for 2024.
Without him, the lineup looked much weaker on paper.
There was a huge hole in terms of left-handed hitting and power that their offense was dealing with following the departure from Bellinger into free agency.
After initial projections suggested the former MVP might get something up to $200 million following his resurgent year with the Cubs, he eventually returned on an $80 million deal with opt-outs after the first two years.
Jordan Campbell of Cubbies Crib thinks that Chicago did superagent Scott Boras a "favor" by eventually re-signing Bellinger and allowing him to be at the press conference that introduced his client back with the team.
For a while, it was thought that Cubs' president of baseball operations, Jed Hoyer, and Boras didn't have the best relationship. Many pointed to the lack of deals that the franchise has done with players he represents.
But, after this contract was agreed upon, Campbell thinks Chicago could turn their attention to another Boras client who is still on the market in Jordan Montgomery or Blake Snell.
"Snell or Montgomery could prove to be opportunistic deals for the Cubs," he writes.
There was is also some momentum about there potentially being some interest to add another starting pitcher after Jon Heyman of The New York Post listed the Cubs as a possibility to sign Montgomery.
Chicago certainly aren't the favorites to land one of these players by any means.
They are currently under the first threshold of the luxury tax and have not indicated they are interested in going over that before seeing if they are truly contenders by the trade deadline.
That could change if the asking price comes down.
"If Montgomery is willing to take a three-year deal, or even a two-year deal, but has opt-outs available after each season, that is a deal that the Cubs likely will have interest in," writes Campbell.
Something like this would still push the Cubs over the luxury tax, so they'd have to be convinced this addition would be a major help, but a short-term contract also still gives them flexibility moving forward.
It'd be surprising if they did change their tune on adding someone of Montgomery's caliber this late in the process, but the longer he remains unsigned, the better chance they have of getting him on a team-friendly deal.
