Report: Chicago Cubs Could Look to Mirror Rangers, Sign Two Free Agent Shortstops
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The Chicago Cubs could look to take a leaf out of the Texas Rangers' book.
Last offseason, coming off a 60-win 2021, Texas spent $500 million on two shortstops, Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, making a bigger splash in the free agent market than anyone had anticipated.
According to a report from Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, there is a scenario in which the Cubs do the same, signing two of the three remaining top shortstops on the market: Dansby Swanson, Xander Bogaerts and Carlos Correa.
The Cubs have already been strongly linked Swanson, especially through his connection with his fiancée, Mallory Pugh, who plays in the NWSL for the Chicago Red Stars.
And as of Monday, after a productive in-person meeting with Correa, there seems to be smoke on his front too. The meetings were so productive in fact, that owner Tom Ricketts was reported to give club president Jed Hoyer a green light to spend and improve his team.
That leaves only Bogaerts unlinked to the Cubs, but Feinsand's report indicates that if the Cubs do strike for two targets, then Bogaerts will likely be one of them, given that he and Swanson are the cheaper of the two options.
But both can't play shortstop, thus one must move off their natural position, and Bogaerts is the obvious choice. Across his 10-year MLB career, the former Boston Red Sox worth -51 DRS at shortstop.
He does, however, have the skills to adequately play third base, where his lacking range is less of an issue. This scenario Feinsand also postulates.
Bogaerts has shown disinterest in moving away from his familiar home, declining to let the superior defender, Trevor Story, take his shortstop job in Boston during 2022.
There are many moving parts in bringing multiple star free agents to Wrigley, but if Tom Ricketts wants it does, he has the money and power to complete the deals.
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