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As we examine the Cubs roster and consider their needs heading into 2021, an outfielder who can handle lefties is probably right there atop the list (either a righty who mashes lefties, or a lefty without huge splits). The Cubs have only two outfielders at the moment, and were one of the worst offenses against left-handed pitching in 2020. Ideally, that player would be a center fielder who could push Ian Happ out to left, where he’d likely add a lot more value with his glove, but I do think Happ could stay in center, especially if the right bat was found for the corner (contact bat, righty,...

There is exactly one week until Christmas, which tends to breed a break in the offseason, but free agency could pick up here in the short-term: “I expect there to be a good number of signings leading up to the holidays,” one prominent agent said Monday, via Robert Murray. “Then it won’t go black but it will go dark grey until after the New Year.” And for what it’s worth, that’s not necessarily standing in contrast to this: The movement in the free agent market is generally so sluggish that agents believe that for some players, it would be better to wait until the labor situation...

The quiet offseason continues.

Soto said he has been working since 2019 to improve his plate vision and identifying off-speed pitches. He walked 41 times — fourth most in the National League — and pitchers intentionally walked him an NL-leading 12 times. He also blasted 13 home runs, drove in 37 runners and struck out just 28 times in 47 games. Those marks made Soto a Silver Slugger, and the outfielder finished fifth in MVP voting. When MLB Network’s Harold Reynolds asked Soto about the room Soto sat in during the interview — filled with bats and jerseys — Soto pointed out a few of his favorite. There’s a World...