Chicago Cubs Linked to World Series Champion in Free Agency

Eight seasons have come and gone since the Chicago Cubs won the World Series in 2016.

The club has undergone many changes to the roster, the coaching staff, and the front office, but the ivy still grows on the bricks every spring, and the fans still fill the Friendly Confines anytime the club takes the field.

The last two years have not gone to plan, specifically 2024.

The Cubs brought in Craig Counsell to replace David Ross as manager after what Counsell was able to accomplish in his time as the skipper for the Milwaukee Brewers.

In his first campaign on the North Side, he led the club to an 83-79 record, the exact same record they had in 2023 with Ross at the helm.

That should serve as a massive wake-up call, and a reason for Chicago to search for improvements in the free agency market this winter.

A recent report from MLB Network’s Jon Morosi indicates that could be the plan for the club, with the insider reporting that there is a “possibility” that the Cubs sign two-time World Series champion Walker Buehler.

This could potentially be a major upgrade to a pitching rotation that ranked sixth in Major League Baseball in 2024 with a combined ERA of 3.77. That mark would have been much lower, but veteran Kyle Hendricks carried a 6.27 ERA when starting across 116.1 innings.

Buehler did not have the best campaign of his career in 2024, with him recording a 5.38 ERA across 75.1 innings pitched, but this does come after missing most of 2022 and all of 2023 due to Tommy John and flexor tendon surgery.

The veteran would be a gamble, but Chicago could potentially sign him to a one-year “show me” deal, that Spotrac currently projects to land in the $3.9 million range.

The Cubs are projected to carry a payroll of $176.8 million into 2025 after carrying a payroll of $229.5 million in 2024, so swinging a deal for the veteran is not out of the question as far as money is concerned.

This deal would also leave the club with room to make another move to improve the offense, as there are some clear holes.

Adding Buehler to the rotation could be a boon for the club, or a bane.

But at such a low cost, it is a gamble the team should make.