Ivy League Cubs

By: Jacob Zanolla

Cody Bellinger had his introductory press conference today in Arizona!

Scott Boras makes it a point to accompany all of his major clients at their press conferences, something that no other agents do. Craig Counsell reportedly said “I thought Montgomery was coming with you” to Scott as he approached the Cubs facilities in Mesa, Arizona. There have been some connections between Montgomery and the Cubs, so I’ll add my delusional thoughts to that in a little bit. First, let’s talk about the actual press conference! (This was streamed on Marquee, along with the Cubs socials. If you want to watch the whole thing, I recommend going there)

Cubs fans pictured Hoyer and Boras in a staring contest all offseason, so it was quite entertaining to see them sitting next to each other the whole time.

One thing that was very clear throughout this whole press conference was that Cody is extremely excited to return to Chicago. There were multiple times where he mentioned his joy in returning to the Cubs. He also emphasized how close the 2023 Cubs were to making the playoffs, and how he wants to get over that hump with the 2024 squad.

Another feeling Cody shared was how much he missed baseball. I’ve been saying for a month or so that I believed Cody would sign first due to missing Spring Training. We’ve seen how happy he is via videos and pictures at camp, as well as this press conference. While he didn’t say it directly, it sure seems as if he did indeed step in and tell Boras to accept the deal.

Hoyer was asked if this meant they wouldn’t go over the luxury tax, to which he laughed and said he couldn’t comment. At least they tried!!

Scott Boras was asked if we could expect him at any other big press conferences soon, hinting at his other four big clients (Chapman, Snell, Montgomery, Martinez). Boras looked over at Jed, everyone laughed, and then he basically said we’ll have to wait and see. Does it mean anything? Probably not. However, I have to wonder if Jed is looking into another deal with Boras if a price drops.

Hoyer and Boras were both asked if negotiations finished quickly, as Tom Ricketts had said they were nonexistent just a short while ago. This was a great question, to which they answered by saying that yes, it all occurred within the last week.

This quote from Boras stuck out to me. The Cubs have been connected to two Boras clients in Jordan Montgomery and Matt Chapman, so are they still in play? I don’t think it’s very likely, but don’t rule it out quite yet. We know Hoyer loves a good deal, and that this free agent market is like none we have seen before. Boras has surely contemplated the possibility of taking short term deals, like Bellinger’s for his other big clients. Although I doubt all of the remaining Boras players do this type of deal, my gut feeling is that at least one of them will. Could the Cubs get Montgomery, or even Snell, for this type of short term, high AAV with opt outs deal? If they’re willing to go over the luxury tax, then yes. Jed would most likely love that type of deal.

Side note: The meme potential is off the charts!