Carter Hawkins Officially Hired as Cubs GM After 14 Seasons with Cleveland

The Chicago Cubs have named Carter Hawkins their 16th general manager in franchise history, the club announced Friday. 

Hawkins spent 14 seasons with Cleveland in various roles, including the past five as the club's assistant general manager. 

The 37-year-old takes over for Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, who was recently promoted after Theo Epstein stepped down as team president. 

"I am thrilled to bring Carter into our organization," Hoyer said in a statement. "He has earned a fantastic reputation as a leader through hard work, open-mindedness, humility and intelligence.

"I look forward to partnering with him to build the next great Cubs team."

Before serving as Cleveland's assistant general manager, Hawkins was the club's director of player development and was also a professional scout. He began his career as a scouting intern for Cleveland in 2008 after playing catcher for Vanderbilt, where he graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Human and Organizational Development, the Cubs said in a press release. 

Hawkins' player development background was intriguing for the Cubs as they continue to develop talent after moving on from several core players within the last year, including Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber. 

After parting ways with those veterans, the Cubs now have a younger and less expensive roster. However, it's unclear if Chicago plans to use any of that extra payroll space to make some big signings this winter. 

Hoyer has stated in the past he intends to "spend money intelligently" this offseason but reiterated the Cubs will be ready to be "really active in free agency." 

Plugging holes in the Chicago lineup won't be easy for Hawkins. The team could use help in almost every area, and adding a few seasoned veterans with a high price tag probably won't be enough to push the Cubs back into playoff contention in 2022. 

Chicago finished fourth in the NL Central this season with a 71-91 record, and it's unlikely the club overtakes the Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds in the division any time soon.