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Oh my, oh my, oh my. About 24 hours ago Cubs fans were still roasting Jed Hoyer for not making any major moves in free agency and now we’re talking about the Cubs being one of two teams most likely to sign Carlos Correa?
So, on Wednesday the Cubs made their biggest free agent splash since 2018, signing Marcus Stroman to a $71 million contract. That certainly changed the expectations going forward and while there is a lockout it doesn’t necessarily mean things won’t be happening behind closed doors.
And that brings us to this rumor, report, whatever you want to call it from Mike Rodriguez.
Carlos Correa #cubs y #yankees son los 2 equipos con más probabilidades de firmar al Campo-Corto ya que son las negociaciones más fluyentes por el momento, fuente me confirma que Correa llamo a Báez para preguntarle cómo es el trato de la organización de Chicago #carloscorrea pic.twitter.com/mxu42g60KR
— Mike Rodriguez | Univision (@mikedeportes) December 2, 2021
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Rodriguez says that the Cubs and Yankees are the two most likely teams to sign Correa based on the current negotiations between the sides. Rodriguez also added this detail, saying Correa has spoken to Javier Báez, asking him about his experience and treatment with the Cubs. Báez was drafted by the Cubs in 2011 out of high school and played in 815 games between 2014-21 with the club before he was traded to the Mets this past July.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m always wary of random Twitter reports that come from not as well-known sources. However, Rodriguez seems to have some sort of connection with Báez because he was the first reporter to announce Báez’s contract details with the Tigers.
Javier Baez el Mago se va a #Detroit Detroit 🔥👀 6 años más de $140 Millones 🎩 #Tigers #javierbaez #detroit #mlb #lasmayores #baseball pic.twitter.com/eBZtTgf5kn
— Mike Rodriguez | Univision (@mikedeportes) November 30, 2021
Catching up on credit: @danconnolly2016 was 1st on Odor deal, @JackCurryYES 1st on Sanchez tender, @mikedeportes 1st on Baez terms
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 1, 2021
Credit to @mikedeportes for his strong work on being first with the Javier Baez contract terms.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 1, 2021
So, it’s easy to assume that someone in Báez’s camp, maybe even El Mago himself, is relaying this information to Rodriguez. And if that’s true, then maybe the Cubs being one of the favorites to sign Correa is also factual.
Plus, this isn’t completely out of left field because there was a separate report Wednesday night that also linked the Cubs to Correa.
According to MLB sources the agent for free-agent shortstop Carlos Correa has heard from the @Yankees, @RedSox, @Dodgers, @Cubs and @Braves and was offered five years/$160 million by the Astros last month.
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) December 2, 2021
Now, I’m going to be as optimistic as possible when it comes to anything linking the Cubs to Correa, but you’d have to believe that once the lockout ends that he’ll be negotiating with several other teams as well. So, even if at this moment it appears the Cubs are one of the favorites, more teams will be involved later on in the process.
However, this is pretty exciting stuff for Cubs fans. It does seem like the Cubs have serious interest in Correa, but a reminder that to get him will most likely mean a deal that’s worth at least $300 million.
I do have to say, despite team executives and players not being able to communicate during the lockout there are ways around that. While no one should expect any deals to be agreed upon during the lockout stage, I find it hard to believe that there won’t be any talks.
For now, fans can speculate all they want because unlike a few days ago, Carlos Correa to the Cubs is more likely now than ever before.
