One Question for Every Team to Address Between Now and the Conclusion of the Offseason

By: Chris Larson

The Winter Meetings are well underway at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in San Diego and there has certainly been plenty of chatter up to this point. Thus far, the biggest deal to come out of the Winter Meetings has been the Washington Nationals reuniting with old friend and ace, Stephen Strasburg on a seven-year, $245 million dollar deal. The deal was officially announced Monday afternoon and then late last night, the New York Yankees struck by inking free agent right-hander, Gerrit Cole to a record nine-year, $324 million dollar deal. The deal is still pending a physical, but puts the spotlight on free agent third baseman, Anthony Rendon now.

In addition, yesterday afternoon the Philadelphia Phillies inked free agent shortstop, Didi Gregorious today to a one-year, $14 million dollar deal. Gregorious hopes to build back some value and hit the open market next year in hopes of an even bigger contract. Beyond that signing, Tuesday also brought news that the San Francisco Giants acquired third baseman, Zack Cozart from the Los Angeles Angels in a salary relief move by Los Angeles Angels and later brought news that the San Francisco Giants added some stability to their starting rotation in the form of inking free agent starting pitcher, Kevin Gausman to a one-year, $9 million dollar contract.

As the Winter Meetings continue to roll along, every single team across baseball continues to analyze their current 26-man roster and look for potential acquisitions in free agent and via the trade market. Much of the time, the conversations that take place at the Winter Meetings continue following the conclusion of the meetings and throughout the remainder of the offseason.

With that being said, here is one question for every team to address between now to the conclusion of the Winter Meetings on Thursday and over the remainder of the offseason.

1. Arizona Diamondbacks: What will be done to address the outfield?

Prior to the Non-Tender Deadline last Monday, the Arizona Diamondbacks non-tendered right fielder, Steven Souza Jr. and lost two outfielders to free agency in Jarrod Dyson and Adam Jones. Right now, the starting outfield for Arizona would be David Peralta in left, Ketel Marte in center, and Josh Rojas, who the team acquired in the Zack Greinke trade with the Houston Astros, over in rightfield. However, the best defensive team for the Diamondbacks finds Ketel Marte at second base which leaves potentially two vacancies in center and rightfield for Arizona to address this offseason. They have already been connected to two key free agent outfielders in Marcell Ozuna and Nicholas Castellanos, but it unknown if they will get into a serious bidding war to sign either player.

2. Atlanta Braves: How will the team address the need at third base?

Many analysts and executives around the baseball industry expect the Atlanta Braves to eventually reach a deal with free agent third baseman, Josh Donaldson, but it is unknown if or when that is going to happen. Atlanta has already spent a significant amount of money in free agency so far this offseason with the signings of Will Smith, Travis d'Arnaud, and Cole Hamels and the current payroll already sits at ($157.5) million dollars. How much further will the Braves go and will they be willing to commit another $16-$20 million dollars or potentially even more to ink Josh Donaldson and fill that void at the hot corner? That remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain and that's the fact that Atlanta Braves General Manager, Alex Anthopoulos is an aggressive executive and always looking at ways to improve the club.

3. Baltimore Orioles: Will the team deal away first baseman Trey Mancini?

Over the course of the past year, the Baltimore Orioles have received plenty of trade interest in first baseman, Trey Mancini but the organization has been hesitant to trade him due to his leadership capabilities and the fact that he's a guy who could be a pillar for the next great Orioles ball club. With that being said though, Baltimore has to be realistic when they evaluate their current team and potentially trade away an asset for an even bigger return to help build for the future. When you survey the Orioles roster, the one guy that could help achieve that goal is Trey Mancini and if the Orioles play their cards right, there should be a team that will go all-in to acquire him.

4. Boston Red Sox: What moves will the team make to get under the luxury tax threshold?

So far this offseason, the Boston Red Sox have made it very apparent that they want to get under the luxury tax threshold of ($208) million dollars for next season, but it remains to be seen what decisions the team will make to accomplish that goal. After tendering a contract to centerfielder, Jackie Bradley Jr. last week, the Red Sox are reportedly aggressively looking to move him in a trade and there have been plenty of reports about the team potentially attaching outfielder, Andrew Benintendi to a deal to acquire one of Boston's starting pitchers in David Price or Chris Sale. Additionally, Mookie Betts has generated plenty of interest so far, but there's still a serious question mark about whether or not a team would be willing to take on the estimated ($27.5) million dollars that Betts will earn in his final year of arbitration next season and be willing to send impact prospects back to Boston.

5. Chicago White Sox: After missing out on Zack Wheeler, which starting pitcher will they target?

If someone was trying to project the next move for the Chicago White Sox to have a successful offseason, it would likely be the fact that the team still needs to seriously be looking for starting pitching. The good news is that there are a fair amount of options still remaining in free agency even after Gerrit Cole signed his record-breaking deal with the New York Yankees. Pitchers in that second tier including Madison Bumgarner, Hyun-Jin Ryu, and Dallas Keuchel could all be logical fits for the White Sox. The White Sox were never going to be willing to invest the type of money that it would take to sign Gerrit Cole so that leaves them looking at that second tier and there could be quite a bit of competition when it comes to inking any of those three pitchers. Therefore, do the White Sox then turn their attention to the third tier of free agent starting pitchers or look to the trade market for a reinforcement or two to add to their rotation? That remains to be seen.

6. Chicago Cubs: How serious will the team be to move a piece of their core?

To this point, there has been plenty of chatter about the Chicago Cubs potentially trading away a piece of their core to improve the future outlook of their 26-man roster and the organization's farm system. However, the Cubs have yet to pull the trigger on any move and could be waiting for some of the free agents to come off the board as that could clear the picture and bring about a new potential suitor for either third baseman Kris Bryant or catcher Willson Contreras. It still remains highly unlikely that the Cubs will trade away first baseman Anthony Rizzo or leftfielder Kyle Schwarber, but both Bryant and Contrearas meet the needs of several teams looking to contend next season. Will the Cubs end up trading away a piece of their core or will it all be talk at the end of the day? Only time will tell what ends up happening this offseason.

7. Cincinnati Reds: How far will they push to make further improvements to their roster?

Last week, the Cincinnati Reds inked free agent third baseman, Mike Moustakas to a four-year, $64 million dollar deal and that significantly improved the outlook of their lineup for next season. Despite that though, Cincinnati could still use an upgrade in their outfield and potentially an upgrade at shortstop in the form of someone like free agents Didi Gregorious or old friend Jose Iglesias. Cincinnati is already in record territory with a 40-man roster payroll amount of ($131.8) million dollars for next season, but there haven't been any signals that the team wants to stop spending and upgrading it's roster. To this point, the biggest outfield name that the Reds have been linked to is free agent, Marcell Ozuna but it might be difficult for Cincinnati to add him to the fray and be willing to pay him the amount of money that he could command.

8. Cleveland Indians: Do they end up trading Francisco Lindor now or hold off until next July?

At the start of the offseason, there were multiple reports that stated that many baseball executives believe that one of Mookie Betts, Kris Bryant, or Francisco Lindor will be traded this offseason. It remains to be seen which one of those three players is going to be dealt away, but Cleveland is probably getting a significant amount of interest in shortstop, Francisco Lindor at the moment. With that being said though, the team is going to hold firm until they receive exactly what they are looking for (as they should) and there might not be a team out there willing to meet the steep asking price of Cleveland. Therefore, conversations about Lindor will likely carry over after the conclusion of the Winter Meetings, but the Indians might feel as though they could potentially get the best return if they hold off trading him until next July prior to the July 31st Deadline.

9. Colorado Rockies: Will the organization trade a position player for major league pitching?

Colorado is likely to be one of the more quiet teams this offseason, but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't be looking at every potential upgrade and means of acquiring major-league ready pitching in return. The Rockies have a couple of players on their 26-man roster who could be attractive to other teams in the form of third baseman Nolan Arenado, shortstop Trevor Story, and to a lesser degree outfielder, Charlie Blackmon. Of those three, the easiest player and the guy that would probably attract the most attention is Trevor Story. Story has two years of control remaining on his current contract, but is highly regarded around the game and could net the Rockies some major-league pitching which is something they need to find a way to address this offseason. Both the starting rotation and bullpen were major issues for the Rockies last season and both could afford to be upgraded in some form or fashion this offseason.

10. Detroit Tigers: Will the team trade away starting pitcher Matthew Boyd or hold off until next July?

When the offseason started and as has been mentioned on here numerous times, there is a significant demand for starting pitching this offseason. When you survey the league, there are about fifteen teams that are scouring the free agent and trade markets for an upgrade to their starting rotation whether that be a frontline starter, a middle of the rotation name, or a guy at the back end to provide additional depth. Right now, all of the attention has been mainly focused on the names remaining in the free agent starting pitching market, but eventually teams are going to run out of options and be forced to turn their sights to the trade market for an upgrade. Do the Tigers end up netting a return that meets their needs now or would they be better off trying to recoup some value and gauge interest come next July before the July 31st Deadline? Only time will answer that question.

11. Houston Astros: If not Gerrit Cole, then who will the team target to upgrade its rotation?

The Gerrit Cole sweepstakes concluded in hot fashion last night, but there was always hesitation that the Astros would have enough payroll flexibility to bring him back. In fact, reports last night stated that the team was considering trading shortstop Carlos Correa to potentially save money. Since Houston failed to bring back Gerrit Cole and given where the teams payroll currently sits, then where will they pivot to make an upgrade to their starting rotation? As it stands right now, the Astros 40-man roster payroll currently sits ($14.2) million dollars over the luxury tax threshold at ($222.2) million dollars. Houston Astros owner, Jim Crane has reportedly stated that he would prefer if the team didn’t exceed the luxury tax threshold, but with Cole off the board - how far will the Astros go to make the next starting pitching upgrade? That question remains to be answered and that’s where Plan B, C, and D come into play.

12. Kansas City Royals: What will the team do to address its bullpen?

Last season, the Kansas City Royals ended the year with a cumulative bullpen ERA of 5.07 over 565.0 innings of work which was the fourth worst bullpen ERA in baseball. The Royals currently possess a lot of intriguing, young options in their bullpen, but will they continue to rely on those options or look for outside reinforcements? An argument can be made that the organization should look to add a veteran or two to the mix to help solidify things especially at the back end and that's where the Winter Meetings could come into play. Kansas City Royals General Manager, Dayton Moore has reportedly said that the organization wants to add bullpen help, but do they do it through the remaining options in free agency or via trade? That's a big question mark and something that the Royals could look to address before the conclusion of the offseason.

13. Los Angeles Angels: How will the team disburse it's funds now that they lost out on Gerrit Cole?

Among the most serious suitors in the Gerrit Cole derby were the Los Angeles Angels. Unfortunately, for the Los Angeles Angels they lost out in the bidding war against the New York Yankees, but that now turns the attention to how do they disburse the funds they were going to use for Cole? Yesterday afternoon, Los Angeles Angels General Manager, Billy Eppler said that the team could afford to add multiple players that would command ($20) million dollars a year or more in salary and following yesterday's trade of third baseman, Zack Cozart to the San Francisco Giants, it seems as though the Angels have cleared enough payroll space to make a big splash or two this offseason. Still, when you look at their roster, the Angels could afford to make two more impactful starting pitching additions, add another bat to the picture somewhere, and probably shore up the bullpen with another impact arm as well. How aggressive will the team be in addressing each of those needs now that their biggest target, Gerrit Cole has come off the board?

14. Los Angeles Dodgers: If the team signs Anthony Rendon, how will they shuffle around their roster?

The Los Angeles Dodgers were in serious pursuit of free agent right-hander Gerrit Cole, but are still involved heavily in the sweepstakes for free agent third baseman, Anthony Rendon. All along, it seemed like the Dodgers were more interested in trying to sign Rendon compared to Cole and that could make for quite an intriguing addition to an already strong Dodgers position player group. If the team adds Rendon to the mix, do they shift Justin Turner over to first base which pushes Max Muncy to second and potentially Gavin Lux to shortstop? Could they potentially trade one of those aforementioned names to make an upgrade somewhere else on the roster? There are plenty of different avenues this could go down and the Dodgers aren't going to be content just winning another division championship in 2020. As Dave Roberts mentioned to reporters yesterday, he believes there will be a lot of roster turnover this winter and it could potentially be the most in his tenure with the team.

15. Miami Marlins: Will they look to add another power bat to the mix?

Last week, the Miami Marlins made two impactful additions to their offensive group prior to the non-tender deadline in first baseman, Jesus Aguilar and second baseman, Jonathan Villar. The question then becomes will Miami look to add another power bat to the mix in an effort to try and upgrade their offense? Last season, the Marlins had the second worst on-base percentage (.298) of any team in baseball, which put them just ahead of the Detroit Tigers. Miami has made it known that it wants to start making progress in it's rebuilding efforts and a positive step forward would be having a lineup that can produce offensively day in and day out. Aguilar and Villar are great additions, but one more bat would give them an even deeper and more competent lineup to play with the best of them as another rebuilding year takes place in Miami.

16. Milwaukee Brewers: What will the team do with all of the payroll space that they cleared out?

Prior to the non-tender deadline last Monday, the Milwaukee Brewers cleared nearly ($60) million dollars from their projected payroll for next season and some are wondering exactly what the organization might do with that additional spending room. The Brewers have a couple of different needs in regards to adding a frontline starting pitcher, making an upgrade at first or third base, and adding another impact reliever to the mix. How Milwaukee Brewers President of Baseball Operations and General Manager, David Stearns goes about upgrading all of those areas of the roster remains to be seen. Does he use the additional spending room to make a big splash in free agency or is it more of a soft rebuild where the team will reallocate those funds in a more disciplined fashion with the addition of less expensive pieces? Only time will tell what David Stearns & Company's long term plan might be.

17. Minnesota Twins: How many starting pitchers will the team add?

Ever since the start of the offseason, everyone around the game has known that the Minnesota Twins have a need to add multiple starting pitchers. The question becomes: how deep do they dip into the free agent starting pitching market and how much money are they willing to invest? Payroll flexibility is a tremendous thing for Minnesota looking ahead to the future and they should have no problem taking on a long-term significant commitment whether that be in the form of free agent left-handers Madison Bumgarner or Hyun-Jin Ryu or free agent right-hander Dallas Keuchel. As it stands right now, the Twins have ($20.8) million dollars committed to the books and their total 40-man payroll for the 2020 season currently stands at ($121.3) million dollars. Minnesota Twins ownership has already said they are committed to winning now, but now they have to deliver on their promise and show the entire Twins fanbase how serious they are with the starting pitching investments they make.

18. New York Mets: How big or small will the team go to make the necessary upgrades to their roster?

As it looks right now, the New York Mets have a multitude of different needs including a backup catcher to pair with Wilson Ramos, back of the rotation starting pitching depth, potentially an infield upgrade, and a need for additional offense in the outfield. When you survey the Mets 26-man roster, it doesn't appear as though any of those needs necessarily jump out on paper as things that the organization must do, but an argument can be made that all four needs should be addressed by the team this offseason in some form or fashion. So, then the question becomes: how big or small will the Mets go to address each of those areas on the roster? That's because both routes are potentials depending on how far the Mets want to extend their payroll and if they spend like a true New York team, then they should be able to make a big move or two before the offseason concludes.

19. New York Yankees: Will the organization find a trade partner for left-hander J.A. Happ?

After reaching a record nine-year, $324 million dollar deal last night with free agent right-hander, Gerrit Cole the question now becomes will the team need to trade left-hander, J.A. Happ to clear additional payroll space? The team had a lot of their focus centered around Gerrit Cole over the last few weeks, but they have received plenty of interest in Happ as well. With the addition of Gerrit Cole, the Yankees have likely exceeded the first level of the luxury tax threshold for next season at ($208) million dollars as well as the second level of the threshold ($228) million dollars, but the biggest thing the Yankees want to avoid are the penalties that come along with exceeding that top tier of the luxury tax threshold ($248) million dollars. If New York reaches that level, then there could be stiff penalties and additional tax for every dollar spent that the team would have to pay back.

20. Oakland Athletics: What is the likelihood of an extension for Marcus Semien?

The small market, payroll conscious Oakland Athletics always have to be aware of how much money they are spending versus how much money the organization is taking in. Luckily, the organization has found a way to balance that delicate line of staying competitive and relevant versus having to tear everything down to the studs and go through a full blown rebuild. Therefore, will Oakland feel the necessity to offer an extension to shortstop, Marcus Semien at some point this offseason or do they let Semien walk as a free agent after the 2020 season? Both scenarios are hypothetical in many regards and both could happen depending on how the dominoes end up falling. During his tenure in Oakland, Semien has been an integral part of Oakland's position player group and deserves an extension by the team in every sense of the word.

21. Philadelphia Phillies: How far will the team extend it's payroll in the short-term?

Back in 2018, the Philadelphia Phillies payroll was in really good shape and there was very little money committed to the books at that time. In fact, only centerfielder Odubel Herrera was on the books and the rest of the players were mainly arbitration eligible guys that were making an affordable amount of money. Well since that time, the Phillies payroll has ballooned up to a projected ($189.7) million dollar amount for the entire 40-man roster heading into next season. If you add Didi Gregorious's deal to that projected amount, it would come out to a total of ($203.7) million dollars leaving the Phillies with about ($4.3) million dollars left until they reach the ($208) million dollar luxury tax threshold for next season. The team reportedly still wants to upgrade at the catching position, potentially add another starting pitcher, and make an upgrade in the outfield which means that they will likely extend well before the threshold. Philadelphia Phillies owner, John Middleton has said the team would do it in the right circumstance, but exactly how far will they extend? That question remains to be seen.

22. Pittsburgh Pirates: What is going to be the plan for new General Manager Ben Cherington?

Right now, there still has not been a definitive answer from the Pittsburgh Pirates about whether or not the team is going to go all-in heading into the 2020 regular season, just looking to retool it's current big league roster, or tear everything down and go through a full blown rebuild. In the past, Ben Cherington has stated his desire to someday run an organization that he has had a hand in building from the bottom all the way up to the top and now might be the perfect time for him to do that. According to reports out of the Winter Meetings, Cherington is willing to listen to any and all calls about players on his big league roster and is looking for catching as the primary focal point in almost every single deal. However, that doesn't mean that the team is going to just retool or go through a full rebuild, it just means that everything is in listening mode at the moment and there's been no definitive answer.

23. San Diego Padres: Will the team be able to add an additional offensive first bat to it's lineup?

When you look at the San Diego Padres 26-man roster, the team still needs to add another offensive first bat to it's lineup and could afford to add a veteran presence to it's starting rotation as well. As recently as this afternoon, the Padres are reportedly in talks to acquire second baseman, Whit Merrifield from the Kansas City Royals (a proposed trade first mentioned on here) and it would likely cost quite a bit in prospect capital. With that being said, Merrifield is the type of bat and the leadoff hitter that the Padres could add to their lineup and there is the potential that the deal could extend beyond just Merrifield. One potential is the inclusion of current Kansas City Royals left-hander, Mike Montgomery who could add a veteran stability to San Diego's starting rotation and give them a durable arm for down the stretch come next season.

24. San Francisco Giants: How serious is the team about making a big splash in free agency this offseason?

In the late hours of the Gerrit Cole sweepstakes, the San Francisco Giants sort of swooped in and became one of the mystery teams rumored to be involved. The connection made a lot of sense because shortstop Brandon Crawford, who is Gerrit Cole's brother in-law, plays for the team and it would have allowed Cole to play out in California. However, with where the team is in the rebuild cycle and the fact that adding yet another contract to the fray could complicate things, is there another splash that the Giants could potentially make this offseason? It seems doubtful in the bigger picture because the organization would likely prefer to subtract payroll instead of add it, but there might be additional deals like the one the team made with the Los Angeles Angels yesterday. The Giants had to take on the remaining ($12.67) million dollars owed to third baseman, Zack Cozart if they also wanted to receive prospect, Will Wilson. Wilson adds an impact piece to the Giants farm system, but now they have to either utilize Zack Cozart and pay his remaining salary or include him in another salary dumping deal before the offseason concludes.

25. Seattle Mariners: What is the likelihood that the team ends up trading outfielder, Mitch Haniger?

To this point, Seattle Mariners General Manager, Jerry Dipoto has been very hesitant to trade outfielder, Mitch Haniger citing the fact that he is likely to be a pillar of the next great Mariners team. Well, there are a fair number of teams looking to upgrade in rightfield this offseason and that begs the question: do the Mariners trade Mitch Haniger at a time when his value is really low or do they hold onto him and potentially look to extend him in the future? Both scenarios could come true for the organization and this is going to be the offseason where the team has to decide the best possible avenue. Seattle acquired Haniger from the Arizona Diamondbacks and at the time the Mariners paid a premium giving up second baseman, Mitch Haniger and starting pitcher, Taijuan Walker. If the Mariners were to trade Mitch Haniger this offseason, they likely wouldn't be able to net a return of the same magnitude.

26. St. Louis Cardinals: Can the team put together a good enough offer to add another bat?

A few days ago, the St. Louis Cardinals were reportedly linked to free agent starting pitcher, Madison Bumgarner. While Bumgarner would be a great addition to the Cardinals starting rotation and would be able to stay in the National League where he can hit, that isn't the area St. Louis should be looking to make an upgrade in. Rather, the Cardinals would be better off seeing if they are able to somehow land another bat via trade or potentially on the free agent market. During their franchise history, St. Louis has always preferred to develop it's own players and rely on internal options instead of looking outside of the organization for possible reinforcements. That notion changed somewhat last offseason when the team acquired first baseman, Paul Goldschmidt from the Arizona Diamondbacks, but it remains to be seen if the organization will hold the same approach this offseason.

27. Tampa Bay Rays: Where can the team find a productive player to make up for the lost offense from losing Tommy Pham?

Last week, the Tampa Bay Rays and San Diego Padres took part in a trade, which became official yesterday afternoon, shipping outfielder Tommy Pham and prospect Jake Cronenworth to San Diego in exchange of outfielder Hunter Renfroe, prospect Xavier Edwards, and a player to be named later. When you look at the success of last year's Tampa Bay Rays team, Tommy Pham was a significant offensive piece of that lineup and the loss of him will likely hurt Tampa Bay in some regard. Therefore, where can the Rays turn to find a bat that can make up for some of that loss in production? Sure, Hunter Renfroe has the ability to potentially match the offensive numbers of Pham, but if Renfroe is in a platoon-role in the outfield, then how can the Rays add an additional bat to their everyday lineup?

28. Texas Rangers: Who will the Texas Rangers spend big on this offseason heading into their new stadium?

The Texas Rangers are looking to make a serious splash in free agency this offseason and were  heavily connected to free agent right-hander, Gerrit Cole before he signed last night with the New York Yankees and remain in pursuit of free agent third baseman, Anthony Rendon. Furthermore, the team has been connected in some regard to free agent third baseman, Josh Donaldson but much of their attention had been centered around Cole and continues to be focused on Rendon. As a result, it appears very likely that the Rangers will land a big name in free agency this offseason, but who exactly will that be and how much money will they be willing to invest? The Texas Rangers current 40-man payroll sits at ($121.2) million dollars, but when the Rangers feel like they can win and win in a big way, the team's ownership group is more than willing to commit the necessary dollars to make that happen. So, with Gerrit Cole signed, is it Anthony Rendon or bust for the Texas Rangers? That's the million dollar question for the Texas Rangers right now.

29. Toronto Blue Jays: How will the team fill out it's starting rotation and how many arms will they acquire?

To this point of the offseason, the Toronto Blue Jays have been scouring the free agent and trade markets for options to add to their starting rotation. Toronto is in need of at least two, if not three, impactful starting pitchers this offseason and due to the high demand around the game, the Blue Jays will need to continue to stay involved on every option possible. Toronto made an offer to free agent starting pitcher, Kyle Gibson before he signed his three-year, $30 million dollar deal with the Texas Rangers and were interested in free agent, Zack Wheeler before he agreed to his deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, but have not been able to cross the finish line with anyone yet. Therefore, Toronto will likely remain heavily involved on all free agent starting pitchers, but if they start to run out of options there, how aggressive will they be on the trade market to make something happen? Only time will tell their aggression level and how many arms they will end up acquiring before the offseason concludes.

30. Washington Nationals: If not Anthony Rendon, then who will the team target to add a third baseman?

In regard to free agent third baseman, Anthony Rendon the Washington Nationals have made it known that they would love to have the third baseman back on their team. However, after inking free agent right-hander, Stephen Strasburg to a seven-year, $245 million dollar deal yesterday, that might not be entirely possible. If the Nationals end up losing out on Rendon to a team such as the Texas Rangers, then where do they turn their sights to and do they then become extremely aggressive to try to sign free agent, Josh Donaldson? If in the event that the Nationals fail to come to terms with either Rendon or Donaldson, then where do they turn next? According to a report today by MLB Network, the team has already been in contact with the Chicago Cubs about third baseman, Kris Bryant but the question then becomes - does the team have enough prospects in their system to put together an attractive enough package for Bryant?