MLB Rumors: Cubs could pair Cody Bellinger with another big bat

There hasn't been a quieter team this offseason than the Chicago Cubs, who have yet to sign a single free agent to an MLB deal or execute a single trade involving MLB players. This has been quite disappointing for a Cubs team that narrowly missed out on a playoff berth and just agreed to the richest deal for a manager in MLB history by stealing Craig Counsell away from the Brewers.

The Cubs are a team that feels fairly close to being the favorites in the NL Central as they have a solid core to build around, but the more time that goes by without Jed Hoyer doing anything, the more likely it is that the Cubs will be hoping and praying they can somehow squeeze into the playoffs.

With players like Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto off the board, turning to re-signing Cody Bellinger should be a no-brainer at this point. Bellinger thrived in his season in Chicago and while there's every reason to believe he can revert back to being the horrible hitter he was in 2021 and 2022, there's also every reason to believe he'll play like the MVP we know he can be.

Cubs could look to add another big bat in addition to re-signing Cody Bellinger

Bringing Bellinger back feels like a must at this point, but the Cubs can't stop there. They weren't a playoff team with Bellinger putting together an outstanding season. Bringing in another big bat to pair with Bellinger should be the expectation. Thankfully, USA Today's Bob Nightengale believes that the Cubs will pull that off.

"The Cubs, who haven’t had a free-agent signing or made a trade all winter, will be baseball’s most aggressive team these next five weeks. They will not only re-sign Bellinger, with no one else expressing strong interest, but could bring in third baseman Matt Chapman or first baseman Rhys Hoskins, too, along with another starter. Their offseason is just starting."

Nightengale gives Cubs fans optimism by saying he believes they'll re-sign Bellinger AND brin in another big bat. Ending with "their offseason is just starting" should definitely get Cubs fans fired up that moves could finally be coming.

Re-signing Bellinger feels more likely than ever, as there just isn't much market interest. The Yankees felt like a big threat at the beginning of the offseason, but they traded for Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo. The Blue Jays felt like a big threat but they re-signed Kevin Kiermaier. The Giants felt like a big threat but they signed Jung Hoo Lee. There haven't been many other rumored suitors. That could change, but it feels like this will end the way the Cubs want, which is Bellinger coming back on fairly reasonable terms.

Whether the Cubs sign other bats remains to be seen, but there are some quality players like Hoskins and Chapman who Nightengale mentioned. Both Chapman and Hoskins can hit 30+ home runs any given year, and with a lack of rumored interest around the league, they could come at fairly reasonable price points as well.

It's time for the Cubs to get going before players come off the board. It's possible that Teoscar Hernandez going to the Dodgers will get the market moving. The Cubs can't afford to miss anymore.