MLB Rumors: Cubs worst-case scenario, Jordan Montgomery latest, Pirates-Marlins truth

MLB Rumors: Cubs inching closer to their worst-case scenario

The Chicago Cubs got off to the best start of any team this offseason, stealing Craig Counsell away from the Brewers and giving him record-setting money to be their new manager. Since the Counsell news, things have gone downhill for Chicago.

The Cubs waited months to do anything before finally making some moves, bringing in Hector Neris and Shota Imanaga in free agency and trading for Michael Busch. While all three of those players should be productive, the Cubs look worse on paper than the 83-79 team that they were last season. The reason for that is quite simple. Marcus Stroman left for the Yankees, and Cody Bellinger, their MVP from last season, remains on the open market unsigned and is another free agent with seemingly no resolution in sight.

Bellinger still makes so much sense as a player the Cubs should bring back, yet they've shown absolutely no urgency in doing so. With Jed Hoyer saying their offseason is at a point where their closer it warming up, it's time for Cubs fans to sound the alarms. The Cubs might be done, which if that is indeed the case, is a disaster. Murray had this to say about the Cubs situation.

"Hoyer's comments were really, really discouraging for the Cubs and for Cubs fans. I still don't think that rules them out in terms of a Cody Bellinger type or anything like that, but the fact that they got Craig Counsell and gave him the richest contract in MLB history and so far have spent pennies, obviously they got Shota Imanaga and Hector Neris so it isn't a total whiff of an offseason, but it's pretty discouraging. If this is it and they don't do much else, that's a failure of an offseason. To me, you cannot make the point that they're better this year than last year. I don't think they're done, I have to imagine there're more moves coming, but Hoyer's comments were pretty discouraging."

The Cubs have watched the Cardinals completely re-configure their starting rotation, and have watched the Reds continue to improve this offseason as well. The way things stand right now, it's really hard to argue that the Cubs are better than either of those two teams without bringing Bellinger back at the bare minimum. Whether the Cubs are actually done remains to be seen, but Hoyer's comments couldn't have been more disheartening for Cubs fans.