Ricketts: Cubs 'plan to be very active' this offseason originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Cubs' past two years can be described as overwhelming, tiresome and emotional.
The team traded away their three biggest stars -- Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javy Baez -- in one clean sweep before last season's deadline. Many expected Ian Happ and Willson Contreras to be moved before this year's deadline but trades never came to pass.
They have work to do building the roster as their top prospects continue to develop. Without checking off all the boxes on their to-do list from the past trade deadline, they plan to be active this winter.
"Our moves over the past year and at the trade deadline have put us in a position of strength in both player and financial currency," Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said. "We plan to be very active again this offseason competing in the free agent market."
The Cubs will likely be aggressive in pursuit of an everyday shortstop this winter. Nico Hoerner has shown he's a major-league caliber starter but this offseason's free agent market could include four of the position's best.
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Trea Turner and Dansby Swanson are set to be free agents this winter, and Carlos Correa and Xander Bogaerts have contract opt outs.
The team's past two seasons have been pain-staking for fans. But, the organization says it has a plan in place to create the next great Cubs team.
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"I expect to be aggressive this winter," Hoyer said. "There's no question we'll have some money to spend. I think, certainly, we want to invest that money wisely. Our goal is to build something special, and trying to do that too quickly, or trying to do it all at once can be a mistake. But certainly there's going to be good players on the market, and I'm sure we're going to be involved in those discussions."
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