Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer recently appeared with David Kaplan and Gordon Wittenmyer on the . Asked about the teams goals over the remainder of the offseason, the baseball ops leader pointed to two specific areas. Mostly focused right now on bench and bullpen, just trying to supplement the roster as much as we can. I feel good about our team but theres obviously ways to improve , Hoyer said. He later added that the bullpens been probably the area weve been focused on most in free agency. I feel like were trying to make sure we upgrade our bench. Adding a veteran presence to our bench would be good. The Cubs have made a pair of low-cost bullpen pickups this winter. Chicago acquired righty from the Guardians and added left-hander on a $2.75MM free agent contract. , and have all earned spots in the relief corps. and are out of options, so theyll need to be on the MLB roster or be offered to other teams via trade or waivers. Thats also true of and , though theyve been recent depth acquisitions who could have an uphill path to cracking the roster. Swingman could open the season in long relief. Chicago probably wouldnt benefit from another middle innings arm. The priority should be finding an established late-game veteran. Hoyer famously has shied away from significant investments in the bullpen since the Cubs three-year deal with . Chicago hasnt signed a reliever to a multi-year contract or an eight-figure guarantee since that June 2019 acquisition. Thatd make it a big surprise if the Cubs jump in on , who could land three or four years at something between $15MM and $20MM annually. Chicago could also be reluctant to meet the ask on Anthony Veneziano Jersey , but this offseason presents a few opportunities for clubs to add a veteran closer on a short-term contract. , and are all coming off productive seasons. Yates, who turned in a 1.17 earned run average while striking out 36% of opponents over 61 1/3 innings for the Rangers, was arguably a top three reliever in the league. Each of those players will be limited to one- or two-year deals. Robertson, who pitched well for the Cubs early in 2022, will almost certainly be limited to one year as he enters his age-40 season. On the position player side, theres a clear need for a depth infielder. , Rule 5 pick , and are the top options to back up the expected starting infield of , , and prospect . A multi-positional player who can provide some cover at third base in case Shaw struggles makes sense. , , and are potential options. The Cubs already signed to back up behind the dish. They have , , and lined up for outfield/designated hitter work. is out of options, so he probably has a leg up on the fourth outfield role. Canario doesnt play center field, though, so the Cubs could look for a glove-first veteran (potentially on a minor league deal) to back up Crow-Armstrong. Highly-regarded prospect can play up the middle, but Hoyer indicated he preferred for the organizations top young talents to play everyday in the majors or in Triple-A. As far as a potential bigger addition goes, Hoyer was asked about the recent report from that the Cubs had casual dialogue with regarding a short-term deal. Hoyer declined to comment on that report itself team personnel are prohibited from publicly commenting on whether theyre pursuing specific free agents but reiterated generally that the front office was looking to supplement the roster (implying they were le s likely to make a huge splash). Bregmans agent Scott Boras said this morning that the All-Star third baseman was on landing a long-term contract anyhow. Fans, especially those of the Cubs, are encouraged to watch the hour-long interview. Hoyer speaks about transactions from previous seasons and provides some insight into the proce s for finalizing free agent deals and trades. He also fields questions on whether MLB will ever see a $1 billion free agent, handling fan expectations as a baseball operations leader, weathering the ups and downs of a 162-game season, and anticipated return at this weekends Cubs Convention. Roddery Munoz Jersey
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