Cubs to make major move for Elite Starter after this

The Chicago Cubs could still look to add another starting pitcher this offseason.
One of the most crucial additions the Chicago Cubs were able to make this summer was re-signing slugger Cody Bellinger for 2024.

Without him, the lineup was far weaker on paper.

Following Bellinger’s departure into free agency, their offense suffered a significant loss of left-handed hitting and power.

After initial forecasts projected the former MVP could earn up to $200 million following his resurgence with the Cubs, he eventually returned on a $80 million contract with opt-outs after the first two seasons.

Jordan Campbell of Cubbies Crib believes that Chicago did superagent Scott Boras a “favor” by eventually re-signing Bellinger and allowed him to attend the press conference introducing his client back to the team.

For a while, it was considered that the Cubs’ president of baseball operations, Jed Hoyer, and Boras did not get along well. Many criticized the franchise’s lack of deals with the players he represents.

However, Campbell believes that after this contract is signed, Chicago may turn their focus to another Boras client, Jordan Montgomery or Blake Snell, who is still available.

“Snell or Montgomery could prove to be opportunistic deals for the Cubs,” he says in the article.

There was also some speculation that the Cubs would be interested in adding another starting pitcher when Jon Heyman of The New York Post mentioned Montgomery as a potential signing.

Chicago is far from the frontrunner to sign one of these guys.

They are now below the first luxury tax barrier and have not showed an interest in going above it until determining whether they are actually contenders by the trade deadline.

This could change if the asking price drops.

“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,” Campbell said.

Something like this would still take the Cubs over the luxury tax, so they’d need to be convinced that this addition would be a significant benefit, but a short-term contract also gives them options in the future.

It would be remarkable if they changed their minds about adding someone of Montgomery’s caliber this late in the process, but the longer he goes unsigned, the higher their chances of landing him on a team-friendly contract.