Chicago Cubs encouraged to pursue $174 million power hitter rather than chase Juan Soto
The Chicago Cubs did not live up to expectations after a busy offseason in 2024. They plan to be active in free agency this winter, aiming to win the National League Central.
While discussing free agents the Cubs should target instead of going after Juan Soto, FanSided’s Zach Pressnell suggested that the Cubs should sign Pete Alonso from the New York Mets.
“All season, it was obvious that the Cubs needed to add a slugger to their lineup. Not only that, but Chicago needed an everyday first baseman as well. Because of this, they were heavily connected to New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso at the trade deadline,” wrote Pressnell. “The Mets were too good to sell, deciding to hold onto Alonso through the year.”
Alonso will be one of the priciest players available, but the Cubs have enough money. Alonso turned down a seven-year, $158 million extension last summer, according to the New York Post’s Joel Sherman. Spotrac estimates that Alonso will sign a six-year, $174 million deal in free agency.
“Teams like the Mets and Mariners will be very aggressive in bringing Alonso in. The Mets are going to be aggressive on Juan Soto, so it’s hard to imagine they find the money to try to land both Alonso and Soto,” wrote Pressnell.
Even though Alonso is very good, it’s hard to picture any team that might get Soto, including the Mets, choosing Alonso over Soto. The Cubs can compete financially with Soto’s main contenders, but there is no sign that he will want to join the Cubs. The favorites to acquire him are the Mets and Yankees.
The Chicago White Sox recently put a bow on a historically bad season, finishing 41-121 — the worst season in modern MLB history. Blowouts, bloopers and bad baseball made the White Sox something of a circus act this summer and amplified fans’ cries for owner Jerry Reinsdorf to sell the team.
He might do just that, according to The Athletic’s Brittany Ghiroli. The 88-year-old Reinsdorf is reportedly having active discussions with a group headed by former MLB star Dave Stewart regarding the sale of the team. Reinsdorf has owned the White Sox since 1981 and is the second-longest tenured owner in the MLB behind the Yankees’ Steinbrenner family.
The simplest explanation for the report that Jerry Reinsdorf is open to selling the White Sox now is that it’s a last-ditch effort to try to extract public funding for a new stadium.
