The Chicago Cubs made a significant addition to their 2024 rotation this offseason. This includes signing Shōta Imanaga to a four-year, $53 million contract. They might make another transaction, but does head of baseball operations Jed Hoyer want to wait until starting pitcher Corbin Burnes becomes available in November?
According to Rich Eberwein of FanSided’s Cubbies Crib, Burnes is a “way too early” free agent target for the Chicago Cubs. The righthander is also a known face. He played six seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers before being traded to the Baltimore Orioles in February.
“Burnes’ impeccable command, devastating cutter, and high strikeout percentage would be the perfect compliment to Justin Steele’s groundball-inducing repertoire,” the coach stated. “And Cade Horton is likely making his way
This season, the Cubs might have one of the top starting rotations in the game a year from now.
The right-handed hurler is entering his final year of team control before hitting the open market next winter.According to Spotrac, he will earn $15.637 million in 2024.On March 4, The Athletic’s Tim Britton calculated Burnes’ possible extension worth. His projections were for eight years and $260 million.
Have the Cubs passed up top free agents to wait for Burnes?
This past offseason’s slow-moving free-agent market is still ongoing. Blake Snell, the reigning National League Cy Young winner, and Jordan Montgomery, the World Series champion, remain available.
The Cubs’ rotation may have benefited from adding another top-tier pitcher. The absence of Jameson Taillon due to a lower-back ailment highlights this. Although Chicago has not been substantially linked to Snell, Montgomery has appeared to be a viable target.Matt Cozzi, presenter of the “Locked on Cubs” podcast, hopes the Cubs will welcome Monty to Chicago.
“A starter with a strong resume remains unsigned. Jordan Montgomery is still unsigned, and in my opinion, he is still a good fit for the Cubs,” he stated.
It also appears that manager Craig Counsell would be willing to include Montgomery in his 2024 rotation. While preparing to announce Cody Bellinger’s signing, Counsell joked with agent Scott Boras about bringing the
Signing With Chicago Would Be a Reunion — Kind Of
Burnes has faced the Cubs as a National League Central foe for the past six seasons. He didn’t really have a connection to them until Counsell agreed to be their next manager. Before landing with Chicago, the skipper had been with the Brewers since 2015. So, he had been the only manager Burnes has pitched for prior to getting traded.
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