MLB Insider: Surprising Team One Of Favorites To Land Carlos Correa

Carlos Correa was left out of the free agency frenzy the first time around, pre-lockout, but his new agent, Scott Boras, will ensure he's front and center for Frenzy 2.0. And according to MLB Insider Jon Morosi, the Chicago Cubs are "poised to play a major role in the courtship of Correa" and are one of the favorites to land him.

The Cubs were in heavy conversations with Correa's camp before the close of business on Dec. 1st, according to Morosi.

And it all comes down to their pitching staff. Marcus Stroman, Kyle Hendricks and Wade Miley are all groundball pitchers who rely heavily on a strong infield defense. Correa is the reigning Gold Glove Award winner, and as slick as they come at shortstop.

And besides, just moments after the labor deal was announced, Stroman was already doing some recruiting:

Come through and let’s have Wrigley jumping my dawg! @TeamCJCorrea @Cubs
— Marcus Stroman (@STR0) March 10, 2022

Cubs not in a complete rebuild

As Morosi explains, despite holding a fire sale of all their veterans at last year's trade deadline, this is not a rebuild from scratch as Theo Epstein engineered close to a decade ago. This time around, they are expected to spend big, and "they do have the payroll flexibility."

And something else important to note: When Correa was doing individual workouts for teams prior to the 2012 Draft, he fell in love with Wrigley Field, and remembers it as such: “I was like, wow, I would love to play here every single day in the big leagues.”

Now, if the Cubs come up with the bag, he might have that chance.

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