2 reasons why the Cubs signing Juan Soto is realistic, 1 reason it's a pipe dream

It's not a question of if Juan Soto becomes a free agent, it's more of a matter of when at this point. Just ask Brian Cashman who said himself "I don’t see too many things stopping him from reaching free agency.”

Soto, represented by Scott Boras, will be looking for one of, if not the biggest contract any player not named Shohei Ohtani has received. Perhaps he'll opt to re-sign with the New York Yankees, but you'd have to think every big market team will be in on him in some capacity. With that being said, the Chicago Cubs should not be overlooked.

The Cubs were able to make a splash this offseason by re-signing Cody Bellinger, and will almost certainly be looking to get in on the Soto sweepstakes next offseason as Zachary Rymer of Bleacher Report predicts. While Chicago does make a whole lot of sense, they're far from the perfect fit for the generational outfielder.

3. The Cubs signing Juan Soto is realistic because they should have plenty of money to spend

The Cubs are a team on the rise, looking to win now and in the future. There are some high-priced veterans on the team right now with players like Cody Bellinger and Dansby Swanson leading the way, but nobody, with the exception of Swanson, is under any sort of guaranteed contract past the 2026 campaign.

With that in mind, the Cubs can easily look to bring Soto in and backload the contract, making it feasible to keep the veterans under contract right now alongside him while paying Soto more money when they have more wiggle room in just a couple of years.

This offseason alone, the Cubs will get $22.5 million off of their books with Kyle Hendricks and Yan Gomes set to hit free agency, and if Cody Bellinger opts out of his contract, that's another $27.5 million. Whether Bellinger opts out or not, they should have more than enough money.