Pete Crow-Armstrong (Creative Commons: Minda Haas Kuhlmann)
Summer is winding down. Football is ramping up, the weather should be cooling down soon, and the Chicago Cubs are trying to reduce payroll by putting guys on waivers. David Bote was recently put on waivers and went unclaimed and was thrust into baseball oblivion. Drew Smyly was also reportedly put on waivers Monday. It’s an obvious sign that the Cubs are looking past 2024 to 2025. However, there seems to be some changes in their 2025 shopping list.
Pete Crow-Armstrong has been thought to be the crown jewel in the Cubs’ farm system for some time. He provides some value even if he isn’t hitting because of his speed and defense. The question has been how his bat will play. Well, for the last month, PCA has hit over .300. And has shown some power. His inside the park home run on Friday night was the most exciting play of the 2024 Cubs season.
Crow-Armstong followed that up with a 437-foot home run to right field the following day. PCA has brought his average up to .224 and his OPS up to .659. While those numbers may not sound impressive, they are a huge upgrade from what they were early in the season.
Going forward, center field is not a concern for the Cubs. They can allocate money for other needs.
And the Cubs have a catcher
For most of the season the Cubs were getting no production from center field or catcher. PCA has picked up in center field and Miguel Amaya has been a revelation at catcher. Since July 27, Amaya has been hitting .352, per the podcast Locked on Cubs. He’s a genuine force at the plate now. Amaya has pulled his average all the way up to .243 and has an OPS of .672. This surge comes after Amaya made a technical adjustment at the plate. It seems to have worked.
While catcher seemed to be a need for the Cubs a couple of months ago, that’s no longer the case. Once again, the Cubs can spend elsewhere.
So, what’s on the shopping list?
The Cubs infielders have name recognition, they haven’t produced. While the acquisition of Isaac Paredes looked to be an answer for the Cubs’ third base problem, Paredes has hit only .161 while with the Cubs. He’s hit about .140 for the last two months. If this continues Paredes might not be the Cubs third baseman in 2025.
Matt Shaw is a potential fit at third base. In addition, Cubs’ 2024 first round pick, Cam Smith has torched class A pitching and has been promoted to High A ball. He’s also a third baseman.
Despite a disappointing year, shortstop Dansby Swanson isn’t going anywhere. His contract ensures that. The same cannot be said for Nico Hoerner. Hoerner has had a bad season and is due to make $11.5 million next season. The Cubs also have a second baseman in Iowa who is nipping at Hoerner’s heels in the form of James Triandos. Another possibility is Matt Shaw moving over to play second. A third is the Cubs picking up a first baseman and moving Busch to second, though that seems to be a longshot.
Don’t rule out a change at first base either. Michael Busch has been okay at the position and has played surprisingly well on defense, but his bat has blown hot and cold. He’s struck out 141 while hitting 16 home runs. His power has been a little light. However, that type of production would look good at second base.
The Cubs have been rumored to be interested in Pete Alonso in the past. That may be true in the future. If nothing else, it might be seen as a legitimate attempt by the team to get better.
Pitching! Get your pitching here!
The Cubs have actually turned their bullpen into a strength. That doesn’t necessarily mean they should stand pat. They will definitely need to take a look at their starting pitching. The starters were excellent early in the season, but as of late, there has been some regression to the mean. Corbin Burnes and Max Fried are potential additions, if Jed Hoyer decides the Cubs are a big market team.
Blake Snell and Jack Flaherty are other possibilities. If the Cubs are to be taken seriously in 2025 Jed Hoyer needs to put on his big boy pants and make a bold move. Maybe even two.
