3 moves Cubs can make after shocking Counsell hiring to complete the perfect offseason

Land Rhys Hoskins in free agency to boost first base

With Cody Bellinger almost certainly out of the Chicago equation, the Cubs will need to find an answer at first base. That answer could come in the form of Hoskins, who missed all of last season with a knee injury but has been considered a key part of Philadelphia's lineup when healthy.

Remember how Bellinger signed a prove-it deal with the Cubs to show people he could return to form? Well, Bellinger and Hoskins are both represented by Scott Boras and his agency. If the Cubs and Boras and Bellinger could come to a deal last offseason that worked out well for the player, perhaps a part two of the saga could be ironed out involving Hoskins coming to the North Side?

Here's something for Cubs fans to remember from the words of MLBTradeRumors.com, "a healthy Hoskins might be the best pure slugger not named Shohei Ohtani in this winter’s free-agent class." While the Cubs are considered a sleeper for Ohtani, it's also possible the Cubs could spend money on a couple of players (or more) for what they could spend on Ohtani this offseason. Would Cubs fans rather have Soto and Hoskins in the lineup and field than Ohtani at DH in 2024? It's a question worth asking, but the answer, if Chicago can actually pull it off, would put the Cubs in a powerful position in Counsell's first season inside the Friendly Confines.