Getty Former Philadelphia Phillies first baseman was tied to multiple teams in free agency before signing with the Milwaukee Brewers
After losing out on free agent target Rhys Hoskins to the division rival Milwaukee Brewers, the Chicago Cubs’ Opening Day plans for several key positions have been revealed.
“As the Cubs evaluate deals for free agents, Pete Crow-Armstrong hasn’t been ruled out as an option to be their Opening Day center fielder,” Patrick Mooney reported for The Athletic. “At the moment, the Cubs are penceling in Michael Busch as their primary first baseman.”
The Cubs had been widely connected to Hoskins this offseason and a deal might have seen Busch play elsewhere on the field or head back to the minors. Now, it seems the Cubs will look to the prospect as their everyday first baseman.
And while Crow-Armstrong is a promising young player and the team’s number-one prospect, fans might be disappointed if Opening Day arrives without an addition that pushes him back down a level — particularly the return of free-agent outfielder Cody Bellinger.
“Re-signing Cody Bellinger, however, would increase the probability that Crow-Armstrong begins this season at Triple-A Iowa,” according to Mooney. “The Cubs are expected to invest in another left-handed hitter — with Bellinger being the most obvious and most expensive option.”
How Will the Chicago Cubs Look at First Base Without Rhys Hoskins?
Busch might have a hard time living up to any expectations that Hoskins — a veteran who has slugged 148 homers and 405 RBI in a six-year career with the Philadelphia Phillies — would have been playing first base for the Cubs.
In a 2022 season across Double-A and Triple-A, Busch slashed .274/.365/.516. In 2023, he won the Los Angeles Dodgers’ minor league player of the year award with 27 homers and 90 RBIs in 98 Triple-A games, but then struggled in a 27-game call up with the Dodgers last year, going .167/.247/.292.
Busch is projected to hit toward the bottom of the Cubs’ order next season. He has a good chance to prove that he’s a long-term answer for the Cubs’ infield, but Hoskins might have offered a more immediately-productive bat in the team’s lineup. Apparently, Chicago did not feel that justified exceeding the $34 million deal Hoskins got from the Brewers.
With or Without Big Free Agents, Cubs Manager Plans ‘Solving for Wins’ Approach
While the Brewers may have won Hoskins, the Cubs took their NL Central rival’s manager first. Craig Counsell will begin his first season with Chicago on Opening Day and is expected to maintain a philosophy that won him a lot of games in Milwaukee, no matter who is on the field.
“Counsell is pragmatic about ‘solving for wins,’ a flexible philosophy rooted in his small-market experiences managing the Milwaukee Brewers as well as his 16-year career as a utility player,” Mooney explained. “Counsell, like Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, focuses on the strength of the 16th through 26th spots on the active roster.”
While the top of that roster won’t include Hoskins, it still might see Bellinger or another marquee free agent added.