This Pending Free Agent Makes Too Much Sense For Hoyer's Cubs

If there is one thing we know about the Chicago Cubs' front office, it's how they approach player contracts. They are still suffering from the Jason Heyward contract; they do not like signing players to long-term deals. However, they're all for signing short "prove it" deals with players looking ahead to the contract after. One pitcher hitting free agency fits that mold pretty well.

2024 is not over just yet, but the end is near. The Cubs are close enough to feel like there is still a chance, but the overwhelming odds of making it are slim at best. They're on the verge of missing the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. Since winning Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, the Cubs have won just four playoff games, all in 2017. So, offseason talk has begun early... again.

This upcoming offseason, leading into the 2025 season, will be the most important for President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer. Since taking over in 2021 after the departure of Theo Epstein, Hoyer has traded away the past to bring in the future. The only problem is that the future, now present, has yet to play into October. With room cleared on the payroll and the pipeline bursting with talent, the time to compete is now.

One of the first dominoes to fall after this season ends is Cody Bellinger's decision. He has an opt-out in his contract after 2024. Some say he's opting in. Others believe he'll opt out. Either way, Bellinger's decision will start a crucial chain of events for the Cubs' offseason.

Patrick Mooney of The Athletic (Subscription Required) believes starting pitching will be a priority for the Cubs in free agency. Big names are hitting the market this offseason. However, one player could ask for precisely what this front office loves to give.

"The Cubs will explore ways to upgrade their rotation and leverage the team’s pitching infrastructure... It could involve offering a big one-year deal to a pitcher looking to prove he’s healthy and reestablish his high-end value, perhaps someone like Walker Buehler."

Patrick Mooney, via The Athletic

Hoyer, Cubs Could Be Eyeing Walker Buehler In Free Agency

When Cody Bellinger signed with the Chicago Cubs before the 2023 season, the deal was for one year and $17.5 million. After a couple of down years with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Bellinger was looking to prove he could return to his MVP-like play in 2023 and sign a long-term deal with a team for 2024 and beyond. One of his former teammates on the Dodgers may be looking to do the same.

Walker Buehler is a right-handed starting pitcher for the Dodgers who is finishing his final arbitration year and will reach free agency at season's end. After starting his career as one of the best pitchers in the league, 2022 was a down year for him. He was shelved for all of 2023 after receiving Tommy John surgery. 2024 has not gone quite as planned either.

In fourteen starts, Buehler has a 5.54 earned run average in 65 innings pitched with a 1.65 WHIP. His 1-5 record is by far the worst of his career. After finishing fourth in the NL Cy Young race in 2021, some wondered when the Dodgers would extend him—time proved to change the narrative.

The Cubs have prospect Cade Horton close to ready to join the MLB rotation. Shōta Imanaga, Justin Steele, and Jameson Taillon are all but guaranteed to be there. But Walker Buehler on a cheap one-year deal is exactly the move Jed Hoyer would have the Cubs make to add to their rotation.