Chicago Cubs Rumors: Trea Turner identified as a target

Before the Chicago Cubs offseason can begin in earnest, the Major League Baseball World Series between the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies will need to be concluded first.

Once concluded, teams will prep for the start of free agency and the Cubs are expected to be among the more active teams this winter.

Reading between the lines and taking into account what Cubs’ President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyers told reporters earlier this month during his annual end-of-the-season press conference, the goal for the 2023 season is clearly for the team to return to contention.

“Spending Intelligently” has been the buzzword for the Cubs this offseason and that likely means that the team will be swimming in the deep end of free agency.

NBC Sports Chicago insider David Kaplan did a radio hit on KNVO in Iowa earlier this week and shared some insights regarding the Cubs’ offseason:

• Los Angeles Dodgers free agent shortstop Trea Truner is a target.
• The Chicago Cubs have an interest in free agent first baseman Jose Abreu on a short-term deal if he does not return to the Chicago White Sox.
• The Cubs will be in play for Japanese starting pitcher Kodai Senga.
• The Cubs likely will not be in the market for outfielder Aaron Judger nor starting pitcher Jacob deGrom but Kaplan offered that a short-term, high AAV deal would make sense.

This week is not the first time that Kaplan has mentioned Turner specifically in regard to the Cubs’ offseason plan. In September, Kaplan reported that there is mutual interest between the Cubs and Turner.

Trea Turner would be a great addition to the Chicago Cubs roster in 2023.

With the reporting that has surfaced over the last month, it seems as if it would be an upset if the Cubs were not a landing spot for one of the top free agent shortstops this offseason. Turner and Carlos Correa have been the two most rumored names with an emphasis being made on Correa.

Correa does make more sense for the Cubs over Turner considering that he will not have a qualifying offer attached to him this offseason and is a year younger. That doesn’t mean that the Cubs would necessarily be wrong in identifying Turner as their priority.

He has a unique combination of speed and power which was on display during the 2022 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers as he had a slash line of .298/.343/.466/.809 with 21 home runs and 39 doubles. FanGraphs had Turner as a 6+ WAR player last season.

The more reports that surface linking the Cubs to players in the top-tier of the free agent class this winter, the more clear it becomes that the words from Hoyer after the season are not just lip service. The Cubs want to contend in 2023 and that plan involves spending money this winter.