What would an aggressive offseason look like for Cubs?
Tom Ricketts and Jed Hoyer have both promised the Cubs will be aggressive when it comes to adding talent this winter.
But what definition of the term are they using? Sign Aaron Judge as a free agent aggressive? Trade for Shohei Ohtani? Make some low-key moves like they did last year with Marcus Stroman and Seiya Suzuki?
Beyond Judge, the best free agents available will arguably be four shortstops. When looking at an ideal offseason for the Cubs, targeting two of those shortstops could make sense.
Start with two players who might change teams this winter, Boston's Xander Bogaerts and Atlanta's Dansby Swanson. Convince Bogaerts to shift to third base, move Nico Hoerner to second base, and they'd have a chance for the best infield in MLB.
This plan would be tough to pull off, but let's take a closer look at the players, starting with Bogaerts. He can opt out of his contract this winter and is expected to do so. He's also three weeks away from winning the AL batting title with a .318 average.
In Boston, Bogaerts is getting the Willson Contreras treatment, as in the fans can't figure out why he and Rafael Devers don't have new deals. The Red Sox have a replacement already on the roster, having signed Trevor Story last year.
Bogaerts is popular in Boston, having been part of two World Series champions. He was also a teammate of Cubs manager David Ross on the 2013 team. And he played third base in that World Series.
Swanson is one of the few shortstops who could make an argument for being a better defender than Hoerner. He's an Atlanta native, so he might be a longshot to leave. But keep in mind, the Braves' top-rated prospect is shortstop Vaughn Grissom, already off to a good start in the majors filling in for injured second baseman Ozzie Albies.
Maybe Atlanta will try to trade Albies and leave Grissom at second base. But Albies is signed through 2027 at a reasonable $7 million per, so it's possible the Braves will let Swanson walk, like they did Freddie Freeman last year. Swanson is hitting .284 and just went over 80 RBI for the second straight season.
If the Cubs could pull this off, they'd fill two spots in the order with reliable veterans, sort of like St. Louis did by adding Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado.
There are some decent first basemen on the market, like Josh Bell and Trey Mancini, but the Cubs almost have to give Matt Mervis a chance to win the job next year after he piled up 31 home runs and 108 RBI in the minors so far this season. Maybe they'll bring back Patrick Wisdom as a possible first base platoon or insurance.
The Cubs have Suzuki, Ian Happ and several of their better prospects in the outfield. It's hard to imagine a scenario where they're better off without Contreras than with him, but maybe Cubs management is convinced Double A prospect Miguel Amaya will be a star.
Another path would be to chase a starting pitcher like the Giants' Carlos Rodon, who struck out 11 in 5 innings Friday at Wrigley Field and knows Chicago from his days with the White Sox. Or maybe the Cubs bring back Drew Smyly and Wade Miley next year, trying to buy some time for prospects Jordan Wicks, Hayden Wesneski, Caleb Kilian and others to develop into reliable starters.
The Cubs have reason to be wary of an extended deal, since they had to wait out the end of long contracts given to Jason Heyward and Alfonso Soriano. The Cubs will pay Heyward $22 million to try to find a job elsewhere next year.
Another free agent shortstop, Carlos Correa, would have to opt out of a deal in Minnesota that is set to pay him $35.1 million the next two years. Correa, 27, is younger than Bogaerts and Swanson, but might qualify as a questionable expenditure based on what he's currently making.
But the Cubs promised to be aggressive. This is one way to deliver.
Twitter: @McGrawDHSports