The Chicago Cubs have been one of Major League Baseball’s most disappointing teams for the past month.
Chicago has lost 17 of its last 25 games to fall to 32-34. The Cubs currently are a 1/2 game out of a National League Wild Card spot. The offense in particular has been scuffling throughout the rough patch, with a .632 team OPS during the same time span.
It seems that first base is becoming a pain point for the Cubbies, with offseason trade acquisition Michael Busch slowing down considerably after a hot April. Busch still has a .781 season OPS, but he’s only hitting .208 with a .323 slugging percentage in the past 45 games. He also is tied for 15th in MLB with 73 strikeouts. According to one national baseball insider, Chicago is already being proactive in addressing their need at the position.
After previous reports had already surfaced that the Cubs were showing interest in the Toronto Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr., The Athletic’s Jim Bowden reported Monday that Chicago has checked in with the New York Mets on three-time All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso.
Alonso is in the final year of his rookie contract and expects to challenge the $200 million mark in free agency. He hasn’t had his most prolific offensive season but has come on of late.
Though the Mets are only three games out of a playoff spot, their 28-36 record is third-worst in the NL. If general manager David Stearns doesn’t fancy his chances to re-sign Alonso to an extension, it could make a lot of sense to move the first baseman and get some prospect capital in return.
From Chicago’s perspective, if either Alonso or Guerrero becomes available, it makes a lot of sense to pull the trigger. Both are right-handed batters, which is key because Busch’s worst struggles have been against left-handed pitching.
Alonso is a half-season rental whereas Guerrero has team control through 2025, which could be expensive considering he is making $19.5 million in arbitration this season. If Chicago is looking for help this season alone, Alonso might well make more sense. But if they hope to sign either to an extension, they would have less time to convince the longtime Met to stay in town.
