ESPN Reports: Chicago Cubs have just brought back a dominant MLB player from overseas for their bench in a blockbuster deal worth……Read more

This offseason, the Chicago Cubs appear to be at a crossroads.

The Cubs need to make the same adjustments after losing in the playoffs for four straight seasons in Wrigleyville and five of the previous six overall. They haven’t won a single postseason game since 2017.

A number of baseball’s top players will be hitting free agency this winter, thus the Cubs have every right to be among the teams vying for the services of these elite players.

Although supporters shouldn’t anticipate the team signing a player with the contract of Juan Soto, who is expected to sign a deal around $600 million, it is reasonable to expect Chicago to invest heavily if Jed Hoyer and ownership wish to maintain the public’s belief that the team is committed to winning.

For a long time, the Cubs were considered as a strong candidate to sign former Orioles Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes, the best free agent pitcher available.

Burnes, who has recently turned 30 and is riding high after a breakout season in his rookie year with the Ravens, is set to get a deal worth more than $200 million.

Not only do the Cubs have plenty of cap space and Burnes is a valuable commodity, but there is a track record of success between the two of them and the Cubs’ manager, Craig Counsell, whom the franchise made the league’s highest-paid manager last winter.

The squad finished with an 83-79 record for the second consecutive season after Counsell’s arrival, however that was no improvement over 2023. Maybe Counsell should put his former Burnes superstar back in the lead role. Burnes and the ace had a fantastic 2021 season together, during which he won the National League Cy Young Award and finished in the top ten in voting for four straight seasons. They were together for Burnes’ whole career with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Starting pitching wasn’t even close to being Chicago’s biggest problem.

The Cubs’ starting rotation was incredibly strong this year, thanks in large part to the addition of 2024’s most pleasant surprise, Shota Imanaga, to the ranks of Justin Steele and Jameson Taillon. But if Chicago signed Burnes, they would have perhaps the finest rotation in baseball right away, and they would be in a position to win every time one of their studs pitched.

The Cubs should seize this moment. The time has come for fans to witness a serious challenger once more. Chicago needs to take an aggressive stance if they want to add Burnes.