MLB Execs Believe Cubs Can Sign Huge Power Bat in Free Agency
The 2024 Chicago Cubs finished 12th in runs scored, which is fine, but for several weeks in the first half they struggled to have a consistent offensive output. One area in which the team severely lacked was the power department, as the Cubs offense only hit 170 home runs, tied for 20th most in MLB. How do you overcome inconsistent situational hitting? You blast a three-run home run and win. So, maybe it’s no surprise that MLB execs believe the Cubs can sign a huge power bat in free agency, mainly because that’s exactly what this roster is missing.
However, this specific move hinges on Pete Alonso deciding he wants to play somewhere else once he tests free agency in November. The New York Mets slugger bashed 34 home runs in 162 games this season. That total would have been nine more than the Cubs home run leader, which was Ian Happ, who set a career high in 2024.
According to Bob Nightengale, people within the baseball industry are telling him that if Alonso does end up leaving New York in the offseason, then the Cubs are one of two teams that are most likely to sign him. The Mariners being the other according to rival executives.
Via USA Today.
If All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso doesn’t return to the Mets, rival executives believe he will wind up in Seattle or with the Cubs.
Alonso, 29, has 226 career home runs since making his MLB debut with the Mets in 2019. The only player with more home runs in the past six seasons is Aaron Judge, who has 232 long balls since the start of the 2019 season with the Yankees.
The 2024 postseason is underway and while you can point to several different stats to prove your narrative, it’s hard not to look at the teams still playing in October and noticing that most of them were at the top of the league in home runs.
Out of the 12 teams that made the MLB playoffs this year, 11 were ahead of the Cubs in homers. Only the Tigers hit fewer, 162, while seven of the top-10 in dingers made it to the postseason. The Diamondbacks are the main outlier, as they hit the fourth-most HRs this season, but missed out on a Wild Card spot because of a tie-breaker.
Hitting home runs doesn’t fix everything, but they sure cover up some flaws throughout the season. Proof is in the pudding, most successful teams need to slug to win.
You’re probably thinking, wait the Cubs already have Michael Busch playing first base, why would they sign Pete Alonso? Well, for one you can play around with the DH and have Alonso there most of the time, while Seiya Suzuki goes back to right field. However, this only works if Cody Bellinger ends up opting out of his contract with the Cubs.
But even then, let’s say Bellinger opts back in, who’s to say the Cubs can’t leverage Busch’s good and cheap production into a trade for pitching?
There’s no doubt that Busch had a solid rookie season with the Cubs, posting a 118 OPS+, while hitting 21 home runs and recording a .775 OPS with good defense following a slow start on the field in April. However, he did struggle against lefties after the All-Star break and overall in 2024 had a 28.6% strikeout rate. You can put up with the high strikeouts if you hit for a ton of power.
Busch won’t be arb eligible for a couple more years and isn’t a free agent until 2030. There are things to like about Busch if he stays with the Cubs, but he certainly isn’t the power hitter that Pete Alonso is.
Back in January, there was speculation out of New York that Alonso may not feel 100% committed to being a life-long Mets player. Furthermore, apparently people believe the slugging first baseman may prefer to play for the Cubs or Yankees if he had his choice.
That was offseason talk though. Now, the Mets appear to be making a run in the playoffs and winning could always change Alonso’s mindset. We’ll see.
What do you think, should the Cubs plan on pursuing Pete Alonso in free agency?