Cody Bellinger Return in Doubt? Cubs’ Craig Counsell Era on Unsteady Ground Amidst Off-Season Inactivity

The Chicago Cubs can’t seem to catch a break. They just lost a plethora of star free-agency prospects to several rival teams. Now, they might be all set to miss out on the chance of clinching former member Cody Bellinger for the upcoming season. They have one of the winningest MLB managers, Craig Counsell, to hold the helm of the team. Will Counsell be able to start the 2024 games with a victorious lineup? Or will he be left to deal with a patchy rotation to deliver with once again?

Cody Bellinger spent a brilliant season in the Cubs’ dugout this year. Reports say that the team was looking forward to a reunion with their star slugger. After all, his stay on the team proved to be instrumental to his monumental comeback in the wake of delivering an upsetting performance in the years before. However, Bellinger’s asking price of $300 million is way beyond the team’s level of affordability. Where does that leave them?

Are the Chicago Cubs setting themselves up for failure?

The Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations, Jed Hoyer, made a statement to MLB.com that perfectly sums up the sentiment that the franchise and its fans are dealing with right now. “Winning the offseason is probably more curse than blessing,” he said, pointing at how the team has been missing out on one legendary slugger after another.

From losing Juan Soto to the Yankees to losing Shohei “Two-Way” Ohtani to the Dodgers, they can’t seem to manage to bring in the huge hitting upgrade they desperately need for the upcoming games. However, reportedly, “Bellinger checked every box for the Cubs in 2023. But he’s not going to be a $250 million guy – at least not in Chicago.”

Having Counsell watch the movements in the rotations so keenly does not help either. They brought him in because of his exceptional talent-management skills. If the team cannot deliver the said “talent” for him to manage, will the $40 million hire be even worth it?

Watch This Story: Unveiling The Top 5 MLB Icons, Creating Buzz In The Free-Agent MArket This Off-Season

With spring training and the team’s convention almost knocking at their door, the Chicago Cubs are left rethinking their choice of prospects for the next season. They have to sort out too many questions in too little time, especially regarding their offense rotation. What options do they have available there?

Farm-system for the win, or just a desperate last-moment measure?

For starters, the team has blooming talent in their farm system. MLB.com places slugger Pete Crow-Armstrong at the top of their 2023 prospect rankings. Crow-Armstrong secures a 12th place in the MLB’s Top 100 prospects list for the entire league.

Mike Tauchman looks promising as well, but they will find better luck looking in the free agency market if Armstrong does not make it to the majors by next season. For their shortstop lineup, they have Matt Shaw, whom the MLB has tagged as the sixth-best prospect in the team’s farm system.

Read More: If the Cubs Pull Out, Is Cody Bellinger’s $300 Million Free Agency in Trouble?

It remains to be seen whether the team manages fine with their own set of available players or whether they go after another prospective trade or draft by mid-season next year. Counsell’s dream of victory still looks farfetched, if the current turn of events is any proof.