It is reported that the Cubs have extended “significant offers” to Bellinger, Montgomery, Chapman, and Hoskins.
More than just snowfall for the Cubs Convention might be expected, as Chicago could be in for the bravado of a forecasted Scott Boras Winter. Jed Hoyer benefits greatly from the agent’s apparent inability to provide his clients a strong market, which contradicts what he may have thought in November.
It’s possible that Hoyer is under some pressure to finish things at the expense of losing patience. A large deal or two would greatly improve PR and supply much-needed support to the roster with their annual fan conference quickly approaching.
Jim Bowden’s offseason evaluations in The Athletic are the most recent example of Boras using the media to spread his message.
In an attempt to elaborate on his evaluations, the former general manager joined the Foul Territory podcast on Monday. He was especially scathing of the Cubs team.
According to Bowden, “the Chicago Cubs have done nothing.” “Why do you dismiss David Ross, spend forty million dollars on Craig Counsell, and then do nothing? It’s beyond me.
The fact that they haven’t made a deal or signed a free agent suggests that they will be very disappointed if they believe Craig Counsell can take over and win with the same club that David Ross couldn’t win with.
Though nothing new there, when Bowden was questioned about awarding the Cubs a C thus far, the Boras influence was evident. He said there were still a lot of movements to be made and proceeded to drop a few names after remarking that C stood for Counsell.
Matt Chapman, Ryan Montgomery, Cody Bellinger, and Rhys Hoskins have all had substantial offers from them, according to Bowden. Apparently, they exist. They’ve not missed out on those people since they haven’t signed yet. Accordingly, C, they have proven themselves, have Counsell, and are actively engaged.
Given what those four guys have in common which I don’t need to tell you it’s easy to speculate where this information is coming from. The fascinating thing about it is that, if we accept that Boras or someone close to him is the source here, then “significant” is carrying a lot closer scrutiny.
In contrast to the statement that the Cubs “haven’t been aggressive enough to get close to signing any of them,” Bowden is receiving this straight from the agent, which is still a significant move.Landing three of the four players on the North Side isn’t all that unlikely, but it’s difficult to envisage a situation in which that happened.
We know they’ve been seeking to add to the rotation, and since free agency opened, the Bellinger/Hoskins combination has felt like a very nice fit. Despite Chapman’s seeming oddity, perhaps Boras’s inventiveness will persuade Hoyer to change his mind.
This is simply so complicated that I think something has to be done very soon, even if Boras and the Cubs don’t exactly have the best history when it comes to long-term agreements.