Cubs future will move forward without No. 0

The most pervasive in-season narrative on player contracts for the Chicago Cubs this year was around Marcus Stroman, who was lobbying hard for a contract extension with the franchise. While Cody Bellinger was the most obvious lock-him-up candidate, his agent, Scott Boras, infrequently negotiates extensions for his clients and instead opts to take players to the open market to drive up salaries.

Given how well Bellinger performed this season in his get-right year, it made sense that an extension with him was off the table completely.

Unsurprisingly, Stroman opted out of his 2024 contract with the Cubs to enter free agency. While Stroman, at several points in the 2023 season, indicated he'd be open to coming back to the team even in the open market sans an extension, it appears that ship may very well be sailed.

Patrick Mooney of The Athletic penned an article looking at Stroman and the outlay of the Cubs starting rotation (subscription required), more or less concluding that the Cubs will look elsewhere based on Jed Hoyer's comments at the GM meetings last week in Arizona.

Mooney describes the Cubs' love for Stroman and his hard work and team-first mentality -- Stroman had no issue shifting to a relief pitching role late in the season during the team's push for the playoffs despite being a Cy Young candidate for much of the year -- but it would appear it's not enough to convince the team he's a good option for the long haul.

Stroman has been a good but not great pitcher, missing in consistency year-to-year. His solid 2023 will earn him a good, multi-year deal somewhere that it seems as though the Cubs don't want to match.

It's no guarantee Stroman isn't back at Wrigley for his starts next year, but as of now it doesn't seem a sure thing.

David Ross isn't out for a bench coach gig, he still wants to manage

It didn't take long for David Ross -- recently fired as Cubs manager in a surprise move that had the Cubs landing former rival manager Craig Counsell -- to garner interest around the MLB for new gigs.

So far, though, Ross is turning down roles available to him in pursuit of the role he prefers to fill: A manager role.

The Yankees have offered Ross a bench coaching gig according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required) but reports are that he prefers to work as a manager. The Yankees are losing top assistant Carlos Mendoza to the Mets managerial opening.

Rosenthal says it's unclear if Ross is a candidate for the Brewers, Padres, or Astros gigs that remain open (though Astros appears to be coming off the board on Monday). Brad Ausmus and Andrew Bailey were named as possible alternatives to Ross joining the Yankees dugout, as well as Luis Rojas who currently is the third-base coach.

Ross to the Brewers would certainly make for an interesting narrative in the NL Central for 2024... Just sayin'.

Cody Bellinger's deal earning them potential goodwill with Scott Boras and Rhys Hoskins

Scott Boras confirmed that he and his client Rhys Hoskins are looking at a potential, "pillow contract," not unlike the one Cody Bellinger got ahead of the 2023 offseason at last week's GM meetings. Hoskins is thought to be of interest to the Cubs, despite their hope that Christopher Morel might be retreated as a first baseman after trying most positions around the diamond.

Hoskins would be a great add, assuming he can recapture his potential from before. Sound familiar to what was said about Bellinger last offseason?

The Cubs proved to be a great landing spot for a player in need of a one-year reset, whether it be looking to get their game back on track after a multi-year slump or recovering from injury. Hoskins was slated to get back to the Phillies for the World Series were they to make it, so he'll be ready to go for spring training in April. He'd fill a hole at first base for the Cubs who flopped with a Trey Mancini signing last offseason.

It's not that far-fetched to assume the appreciation the Cubs helped Boras's other client, Bellinger, get in 2023 will earn them some positive nudging from Boras this time around, too.

Cubs are expected to deal

Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma returned from GM meetings in Arizona with one big takeaway that should excite Cubs fans (subscription required): They felt it reasonable to assess it as an, "upset," if the Cubs aren't active in the offseason trade market.

With players like Juan Soto thought to be "100 percent" likely to move by the trade deadline and the Mets open for business (Pete Alonso?!), the Cubs participation in the market would be huge to upgrade potential.

To be sure, there's plenty of good talent to be had in free agency: Cody Bellinger, Shohei Ohtani, Rhys Hoskins, etc. But trade activity signals how aggressive the front office wants to be on a clear win-now move for a new manager and should set the table for a thrilling 2024.

It's starting to sound like a playoff absence in 2024 would be a huge disappointment for the Cubs next year.