Cubs Could Be Signing Two of the Top Shortstops Left

I'm telling you guys, there have been more major rumors about the Cubs Monday night than in the previous four offseasons combined. This one? Oh baby is this one the best one yet.

Unless you're living under a rock you know that the Cubs are involved to some extent with the top free agent shortstops still available. Forget about Trea Turner, he's getting $300 million from the Phillies. Good for him. It didn't ever feel like the Cubs were seriously pursuing him if at all. However, Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson are very much on Jed Hoyer's radar.

And according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, he's hearing that there is a scenario in which the Cubs come away with not one but two of the top shortstops after the dust settles in free agency.

I wouldn't blame you if you're currently rolling your eyes, HOWEVER, David Kaplan added this fun nugget on Monday night, too.

If that's true, then everything is on the table for the Cubs and you can't rule them out signing Swanson and Bogaerts.

Despite the success the Cubs have achieved in the past decade, including five trips to the postseason, three NLCS appearances, three division titles and winning the World Series in 2016, the team hasn't won a playoff game since beating the Washington Nationals in the 2017 NLDS. That's five years of failure and fans have voiced and shown their displeasure with lower attendance numbers and decreasing TV ratings.

It doesn't really matter what you take from Kaplan's report. If it's ownership putting all the pressure on Jed Hoyer, so that they're not the ones perceived as cheap, then good. If it's because they're serious about putting together a competitive team, then good.

As for Bogaerts needing to get convinced to move to third base in this scenario of the Cubs signing two of the shortstops, does it matter if he gets paid like a shortstop? Right now, Scott Boras obviously wants teams looking at Bogaerts as a shortstop because it's a more valuable position. Yet, if the Cubs offer him a similar contract compared to other interested teams, is he really going to care about not being at shortstop?

There are several factors that go into any free agent decision and although money isn't always the top priority, it's certainly near the top of the list. So, if the Cubs are serious about this potential scenario, then offer him the same money you would if you still planned on him being a shortstop even if the intention is to move him over to third base.

And when it comes to Swanson, if he was the only major signing I'd be fine with it. Not overly excited and maybe a little underwhelmed, but he still makes the Cubs better. If it's Swanson and Bogaerts? Yeah, I'll definitely be excited.

Sign Bogaerts and Correa and I’ll take back every bad word I’ve directed at the Ricketts. Well, most of them.

Hoyer said on Monday night that offers are on the table from the Cubs to free agents. He didn't specify which ones, though.

Rumors surrounding Bogaerts have especially ramped up in the past couple days with reports coming out of Boston, Chicago and national writers all connecting him to the Cubs.

Jon Heyman also wrote the following Monday night in the New York Post.

The Cubs are looking at Correa, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson, and folks believe they have a good chance to land one of the shortstops — although, as many as 11 teams are in contact with the four star shortstops.

Multiple reports Monday night also confirmed a meeting between Correa, his agent Scott Boras, and the Cubs in San Diego.

With all these rumors out and Kaplan saying ownership has given Hoyer the green light to spend big, the Cubs have to be close to something, right? Fingers crossed. It's time, Jed. Get the job done.