The Chicago Cubs enter the offseason knowing the rotation and bullpen will dominate Jed Hoyer’s winter. Health and results both fell short on the mound, and rebuilding that group is the front office’s first job.
Offense still cannot be treated as a leftover. Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki are free agents, and if both walk, the lineup loses two corner bats the club has leaned on for years.
Jake Misener of Cubbies Crib has stressed that Suzuki’s departure would be especially costly.
He posted a career-best 5.1 bWAR, matched a career high with 31 doubles, and added 26 home runs and 86 RBI, while also becoming a much better defender in right field.
That combination will draw interest on the open market. Sliding Matt Shaw or Pedro Ramirez into a corner and calling the hole filled is possible on paper. It is not a convincing plan if the goal is to keep the offense near the level it has been.
Misener argues that Paul Goldschmidt is one name that fits a narrower need.
The former MVP and seven-time All-Star spent the last two seasons in the Bronx and, after the Yankees were swept by the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Division Series, made clear he wants to keep playing.
The 39-year-old told reporters he loves competing, a line Jon Heyman passed along on October 8. Chicago would not be signing him to carry a lineup. It would be signing him for matchups and a short window.
The bench is already thinning. Michael Conforto and Tyrone Taylor are also headed to free agency, and moving Ramirez or Shaw into the outfield would pull another body off that mix.
Experience on the bench still has value. Goldschmidt’s cleaner fit is at first base beside Michael Busch. The Cubs gave Busch a longer look against left-handers in 2026.
The results were not disastrous, but they also fell short of what many expected from him at the plate. Goldschmidt, by contrast, hit .299 with a .393 on-base percentage and a .573 slugging percentage against lefties with New York.
That split would be a clear upgrade in those games.
If the Cubs are not going to spend at the top of the free-agent market for a bat, the alternative is a short, inexpensive patch.
A one-year deal for Goldschmidt is that kind of move: a veteran who still punishes left-handed pitching, who can share first base, and who does not require a multi-year commitment while the front office spends its larger checks on pitching.
