Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer met with reporters on Tuesday (including Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune) to discuss his team’s disappointing finish to the 2o23 season and his plans for the upcoming offseason. Topics of interest included the team missing the playoffs, Kyle Hendricks’ and Cody Bellinger’s futures in Chicago, and manager David Ross’ performance in 2023.
While the Cubs finished above .500 for the first time in three years, Hoyer made it clear he didn’t view the season as a success. While most didn’t see the Cubs as serious contenders entering the year, the front office had postseason aspirations from the get-go. Thus, when the Cubs were eliminated after the penultimate game on the schedule, Hoyer was in no mood to celebrate a mere winning season.
However, that doesn’t mean he saw nothing to celebrate in 2023. The executive praised the work David Ross put in this season, extolling the skipper’s willingness to accept criticism and work through disagreements. He left no room for doubt that Ross will return next year. Rather than blaming the manager for what went wrong, Hoyer made sure to give him plenty of credit for all the ways in which the club improved. His comments about the rest of the coaches were less straightforward, and he would only say that further conversations about the coaching staff will take place in the coming days.
Hoyer also had nothing but good things to say about Bellinger and Hendricks, each of whom had bounce-back seasons. Bellinger slashed .307/.356/.525 with 20 stolen bases while splitting his time between first base and center field. He finished with 4.1 FanGraphs WAR in 130 games, finally looking like an All-Star again after two straight seasons of subpar performance. Hoyer said he’d be happy to have the lefty batter back next year but acknowledged he might walk in free agency. If Bellinger does leave, however, the Cubs are committed to replacing his offensive production in the lineup.
As for Hendricks, who pitched to a 3.74 ERA in 24 starts, Hoyer expressed that he’d love to keep the veteran starter in Chicago “for next year and beyond.” That being said, he would not commit to picking up the righty’s $16MM club option for 2024. While $16MM is a perfectly reasonable price to pay for a capable mid-rotation starter, the Cubs might be planning to pay Hendricks his $1.5M buyout instead and then work toward a multi-year deal with a lower annual salary.
Hoyer would not commit to a certain amount of spending over the winter, although he mentioned that there is no hard and fast rule from ownership to stay under the luxury tax threshold. The Cubs were aggressive last winter, signing Dansby Swanson, Jameson Taillon, Drew Smyly, Trey Mancini, and Bellinger to eight-figure deals. While Hoyer didn’t say anything to suggest he’d spend quite as much this offseason, he did say that he wants to retain the momentum from last winter’s spending spree.
I found it interesting that the one guy he singled out was Hendricks and said He’d LIKE to have him back when the option is his. I think he made it clear he wants him on a Smyly like deal or something similar. His remarks on Bellinger were also rather tepid at best so I guess the early Boras negotiations aren’t going well. It also sounds like not much spending to be done which ultimately is the smart play IMO.
Not a FA till after the WS. Boras ain’t gonna talk to anyone about a contract now.
Exactly my point. The Cubs have exclusive negotiating rights until then. I’m sure Boras has tossed some figures at them.
Boras is too giddy about Montgomery’s start today to talk.
I was thinking the same exact thing. One of the writers should’ve questioned him on that (assuming the writers were aware of the team option). At this point, they have to know whether or not they are picking up the option.
And, FWIW, I would pick up the option without an extension. He had a 4.78 in 21-22, and was injured in 2022. Any extension would start at age 35.
Hendricks: A two year deal valued at, let’s say, $26-$28mm would be good for both parties.
Uncle… The most impactful signing the Cubs could make is bigger than whoever the FA players may be- Fire Ross tomorrow and do whatever it takes to hire Counsell (sp). They will not take the next step with Ross. Counsell is head and shoulders above him as a manager and he’s made the most out of 3 starters and a series of mostly journeymen players.
Counsell is heading to the Mets. That’s a done deal already.
That may happen but it’s not done yet. Right now, it’s just media hype.
Not so much spending. No more long term FA deals. Cub fans will be stuck with SS for years after his playing days.
Extensions were a mistake. Not trading Stroman & Bellinger was a huge mistake. Should have traded for youth and kept farm system producing.
Not resting regulars and not playing youth down the stretch was a mistake. Cubs need a Manager, not a stubborn closed minded, non youth playing type leader.
I’m not second guessing here, it is as all stated at the time.
Hoyer, keep Hendricks. You no longer have Trade material. How are the young OF’ers going to get playing time? PCA, Canario, Alcantara and a few more with Happ, Susuki and possibly Bellinger blocking them?
Stop spending! Trade and promote.
Bellinger provided far more value keeping him than what the Cubs would have gotten for him as a rental. I agree with trading Stroman,but unfortunately,that didn’t happen.
Bellinger provided excitement, no doubt. However what he would have brought back at trade deadline, we will never know.
Cubs are rich in minors at SS, OF & Pitching. DBacks, Orioles, Marlins made Playoffs with youth
Cubs missed the Playoffs with FA’s.
They didn’t miss the playoffs because they held on to Bellinger. Cubs are loaded with youth, but unfortunately, many of those young players weren’t fully ready for full time play.
Adding another above average prospect or 2 in exchange for Bellinger wouldn’t have changed that.
No, but it would have replenished the lower minors with talent, as others are being promoted to AAA & AA.
Signing FA’s May excite most fans, I prefer young talent like 2016. Remember? Hoyer unloaded that bunch at the right time and seeing the results.
I’m not sure what you are referring to. The Cubs made only a handful of trades in 2016. They were all prospects sent to other teams for established players. Torres/McKinney for Chapman, Vogelback plus for Montgomery as well as 1 or 2 other deals that were inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.
What I meant was youth. Contreras, Bryant, Baez, Schwarber, Edwards. They did not trade for them, all home grown. Hence the Minor League youth of today.
Jed suggested the Cubs would replace Bellinger’s bat if the pending free agent walks this offseason. Ohtani sounds good to me!
Keep dreaming. Ohtani is staying out West.
I’d like to dream too, but I’m realistic.
Seiya Suzuki needs a pal on the northside of Chicago, especially after that huge error versus the Braves last week. All will be forgiven by Cubs fans if Seiya can help lure Shohei to Chicago. 🙂
Yoshinobu Yamamoto… Maybe.
I’m a Cub fan, Just not a delusional Cub fan. What’s it like in your world?
I’d think we’d all like him.
Come on man….your boy needs a pal and that’s going to lure this generational ballplayer to ChiTown……..think Ohtani reads or listens to the news….why would he want, even with the money he will have, to what is now known as the Wild West of Crime……..
Yes, hope Hoyer signs Ohtani to 6 years and 400 million to keep Seya company and sit around on IL. Cubs love signing guys to long term deals so they can play a couple years and retire on bench taking up a roster spot.
Cubs have interest in Alonso. However they will never win with clueless David Ross as manager.
I’m no baseball savant. Just a long time fan. Ohtani will be likely looking at 10 years around 30 million per to start the conversation. His pitching days are likely over due to the injuries. He is a professional hitter no doubt. But Ohtani couldn’t help the Angels win. If the Cubs want to spend take that money and spread it around. More power in the line up- Bellinger/Alonso from the Mets with a trade and an extension. Another starter. A 3rd baseman. More bullpen help. I wouldl’nt complain if they got him. But more pieces are needed.
If you actually think Ohtani would consider Chicago, then the Mets with silly Cohen money…..on the East Coast is surely in play too…..the plot just thickened…..
That’s less than Mookie Betts who can’t hit like Ohtani and he will pitch in 25. Why wouldn’t he? He was still batting DH after he was shut down on the mound it poses no risk and he’s one of the best in baseball on the mound as well. You don’t just give that up
He DH’d a few weeks before being sidelined with an oblique injury. That much money is a risk and would take a huge chunk out of payroll. Cubs need more than just one player.
Alcantara, PCA, Canario sound much better to me.
Sometimes being in that middle lack of teams can hold you back in the long term. Most of us knew Chicago had little chance at competing even if they made the playoffs. Same for the Giants. But they went for it and fell short anyway. If they had been a little worse they might’ve tanked and been able to hoard top draft picks like the Orioles and Reds recently.
You don’t understand how the postseason works. You just have to get in. They went 7-15 in their last 22. Missed playoffs by a game. They completely imploded. Worry about your Cards.
Plus it’s not like Jed went all in. He made 2 minor deals and gave up 3 prospects that were decent but had been bypassed in the Cubs system by better talent. Velasquez was passed by Canario, PCA and Caissie. Herz was bypassed by Little,Wicks and probably Ferris and Gray and Made was bypaseed by just about every IF in the system.
This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. That’s not how the post season works. You actually have to win every series you play to win a championship. The Astros won 106 games last year and had good pitching and defense. That’s what wins in October.
The Orioles and Reds haven’t adhered to the cubs/giants mindset and it’s paying off for them.
Teams are better off building through the farm and trading off assets until they have enough ML ready talent to fully contend.
It’s like the Red Sox and Xander/Eovaldi last year. Cubs could’ve got returns on Stroman if they traded him early and Bellinger at the deadline. Now they get to bid on those guys as free agents without any prospect return. This stuff isn’t complicated
And like I said the Cubs really don’t need the prospects they would have gotten back. They are loaded all through the system. More prospects isn’t the need. The Cubs farm system is ranked top 5 already. With the pick they’ll get for Bellinger which should be an after 1st rounder, They’ll have 21 picks next year and the International signing period to go through yet. What’s couple of prospects that another team doesn’t want gonna prove? The Cubs are in a fill in the holes period right now until guys are ready. Big spending isn’t the answer, But careful slot filling at reasonable prices should be the way forward.
Cubs have a top 5 system but Milwaukee #2, Cincy #3 and Pitt #4…just saying
I find that hard to believe. You’re a cardinal fan. I’m sure you hear dumb stuff daily. Like we’re good. We’re going to compete next year. We won’t settle for last place. We’ve got a plan. Everything is under control. See you sheep at the ballpark.
St. Louis fans should just crawl under their 91 loss rock and come out in 7/10 years when you’re a major league team again.
@jeremy
According to what silly prospect ranking site? You might as well post them all because they’re all just as worthless.
The reds and O’s have player’s succeeding at the major league level.
I thought bellinger had already had a QO attached before? Or am I mistaken?
You’re mistaken. Candelerio and Stroman are ineligible. The Dodgers just let Belli walk for free because they thought he would take the QO and they were probably right.
Fangraphs has the Cubs at #3 and MLB.com the last time I heard had them at # 5 but that was before the draft. Haven’t seen the new rankings yet, They haven’t posted them.
Bellinger was non-tendered by the Dodgers.
Stroman isn’t going into free agency and Cody was part of this year run.
Cubs Farm System is stacked and the Cubs are turning the corner.
Oh, how was that signing of Wilson C. for your Red Birds?
Yeah, so remember Cubs finished ahead of them and will next year.
What do you find hard to believe?
Bellinger was not a free agent last year, so there was no QO. They just non-tendered him.
Stl fan. The “dumbest” comment is thinking they would’ve traded Stroman early(??) when he was killing it and Bellinger when they were suddenly in contention. Go troll a redturd page.
Philly won 87 last year and managed to make it to the WS. Atlanta won 88 in 2021 and won the WS. Lots of decent+ teams sneak into the WS.
And they weren’t landing a top draft pick this year, no matter what.
The cubs and giants are following the Rockies gameplan to rebuild. The cards this year were smart enough to copy the O’s and Reds style of rebuild.
The dodgers won it all in 2020 with the best record, the Braves are the favorite this year and Phillies are a bad example in 2022 because Harper only played 99 games but came back for the playoffs. Everyone knew facing Bryce in October would mean a much better Philly team.
@stl fan. I wanted to be on your side with how aggressive some are behaving but then you said; “According to what silly prospect ranking site?”
This is baseball america. (Pay wall)
baseballamerica.com/stories/2023-midseason-organiz…
This is MLB pipeline (free)
mlb.com/news/mlb-pipeline-2023-midseason-system-ra…
I guess those are a couple of those silly prospects sites. Pipeline has the Cubs at 4 and BA at 6 post deadline. Should we stop reading these kinds of sources and trust you instead?
Imagine Bellinger and Soto joining Alonso on the Mets next season.
Soto will be a Padre in 2024. Beyond that, I doubt it, but he can’t sign in Queens just yet.
He can be traded though
Hoyer let Schwber walk. 16mil is decent for Hendricks. Expecting Armstrong to carry the offense and underestimating teams with losing records was their collapse.
Schwarber was awful in 2020.
So was Ortiz as a twin his last year. Hoyer cant judge talent or rickets doesn’t want to spend extra on players or both.
Schwaber may hit home runs but he is no David Ortiz in any way, shape or form.
And Ortiz’s final season for the Twins was one of his best seasons with the Twins.
Nobody, least of all Jed Hoyer was “expecting” PCA to carry the offense down the stretch. If you really want to blame Jed for something this past summer, refer to the Unclemike1526 comment above. The Cubs went into the season with a hugely suspect bullpen and that bit them in the butt big time down the stretch. An experienced veteran arm or two, including a southpaw, would have been nice by the deadline.
When did the Cubs expect PCA to carry the team?
He is the future but no one and I mean no one ever made the claim he would carry the Cubs.
Bullpen arms should be a priority. I’m realistic, Bellinger is probably gone, he’s going to want a high AAV and 8-10 years for his next contract, plus Scott Boras is his agent, he’s going to make someone overpay.
Bellinger on a long-term-deal is asking for trouble.
All long term deals is asking for trouble. No matter what professional sport. But it’s the nature of the business. It’s a gamble for sure
Not all. Just most.
Are any Cubs fans still mad about that Acuna video montage or have we all collectively agreed that Mancini/Hosmer for 2 months, Tucker Barnhardt, and a suspect bullpen that had them win 7 fewer games than their ruin differential is why they didn’t get it?
Where do I start? Replacing Belli will be very difficult. Guys who hit over .300, with power and who play GG defense at multiple positions cost a ton. If they can’t afford him, what makes them think they can afford a comparable replacement, even if they can find one? Also, replacing him – even if you could – won’t improve the club. You’d need two such players. Then, his support for Ross is laughable. It’s only cuz he does whatever the FO wants him to do. He’s a poor strategic manager. He bunts too much, and he continually batted his best hitter cleanup. I could go on, but what’s the point? Same old Cubs.
There’s no guarantee Bellinger will do that again. And if somebody pays big money to see him do it again won’t be very disappointed. I’d like him back as much as anybody but not at the price he’s going to cost. Don’t be at all surprised if the Dodgers jump back in and get in a bidding war with the Yankees and Mets. From what I saw of the Dodgers this year they really could of used him. They made a horrible mistake and have the money to get him back.
I don’t know where Bellinger is going to land, I’m sure his agent is aiming for 30 million per but I think he lands closer to 20 million than 30.
I’m think Bellinger is going to get an opt out with a high front load and lower AAV than expected, I’m guessing 5 years 125 million, opt out after 2 years but a team option after the first year will push it to 8 years 220 range.
It’s hard to judge because Bellinger has two distinct track records, great, awful, good, he has age on his side but his comps are not great either (Nimmo got what? 20 million AAV?) but the market is crazy weak. The Mets I don’t think are going to be major palyers, nor do I think the Dodgers will, perhaps the Yankees?
Yeah, a horrible mistake the Dodgers made…they went on to only win 100 games without Bellinger.
Bellinger isn’t returning to the Dodgers. And I am fine with that.
The Dodgers will be one and done with those starters.
You can’t replace him but you can recreate him in the algorithm.
Rumor has it that the Cubs are looking to trade for Alonso.
I don’t why people are assuming Pete Alonso will be traded. He’s a homegrown, popular star player. The Mets need a power bat in their lineup and he really isn’t that expendable if the Mets want to compete next season. If they sign Bellinger, playing him at 1B isn’t the best use of resources as the Mets already have a full OF.
Should be traded for the right prospect return. No guaranteed enough to assume it will happen.
Cubbies, like a few other teams, got suckered in by Mancini’s bloated home run totals when he was hitting in Camden Shoebox.
Jed did alright in my book last offseason. Missed on a few like Hosmer and Mancini but Dansby is a great core member now. I trust he will be smart to make us better next year. Bullpen should def be one of this focuses I won’t predict anything other than saying I see them signing Imanaga
Hoyer did an okay job, Swanson, Bellinger and Fulmer were all solid.
Mancini was a disaster. I’m not a fan of Smyly either. That a lot of money with minimal production next season.
Barnhart did a good enough job with the staff, offense was awful. Boxy was pointless.
Belli was one of the best free agent signings of all time. If someone told you what his production would be how much would you have paid him? Amazing value.
They paid him $17.5m for 4.1 fWAR so ~$16-17m surplus value. Definitely not one of the best free agent signings of all time (hard to do that on a 1 year deal because it just limits the amount of surplus value), but it was a very good signing for them.
1 year deals are the best. 1 great year for 17m. Take the comp pick see ya later. Wouldn’t want to pay for his next contract but 1 year 17m heck yeah.
Sign Trevor Bauer
Bauer could be had for twenty cents on the dollar but the question remains, would the team accept him? I’m all for Bauer but I’m also not blind to the issues he would bring to the clubhouse and the potential negative effect if could have on signing potential free agents.
He is innocent it was all made up by her isn’t innocent until proven guilty after all that came out now so what negative is he going to bring to the team if he’s innocent Ozuna beat the s*** out of that out of his wife and they kept him
Try using punctuation.
So your more about punctuation than the truth ok I see so what’s you take on the girl making up all the stuff on Trevor do you think he should be in MLB. She lied and the media sucked up the lie as did MLB.
I will be on the phone right now with Bauer I hope he sues the media and MLB wouldn’t you