Carlos Correa Rumors: Cubs Among Favorites to Sign Star SS in MLB Free Agency

The Chicago Cubs are emerging as a contender to sign free-agent shortstop Carlos Correa, according to MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi.

Morosi reported the Cubs "are poised to play a major role in the courtship of Correa" and "were among the teams that had the heaviest dialogue with Correa’s camp in the hours before the lockout began in early December."

The Cubs have the 18th-highest payroll in MLB ($98.1 million) at the moment. Trimming costs has been a trend for the franchise recently, best exemplified by the midseason trades of Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Anthony Rizzo.

This offseason, however, could signal a new mindset from ownership. Chicago has already signed Marcus Stroman to a three-year, $71 million contract, and it assumed Wade Miley's $10 million option for 2022 after claiming him off waivers.

Fans in the Windy City might still be a little skeptical as to whether the Ricketts family will be willing to meet Correa's inevitable asking price. This investment would dwarf what the Cubs have committed to Stroman and Miley.

Morosi reported the two-time All-Star "is aiming for a larger guarantee" than what Corey Seager got from his 10-year, $325 million pact with the Texas Rangers.

That's not an outlandish demand considering Correa is one of the best all-around shortstops in MLB. He had a .279/.366/.485 slash line and 26 home runs while earning his second Gold Glove in 2021.

The 27-year-old has delivered on the biggest stage as well. He's slugging .505 over 79 career playoff games.

Chicago is one of the biggest markets in the United States, which makes it more galling for the fanbase when Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts says the franchise has limited spending flexibility. Trading away Bryant, Baez, Rizzo and Yu Darvish has only inflamed those emotions and led some to question whether the Ricketts family is the right steward for the organization.

Signing Correa to a market-level contract would undoubtedly help rebuild some goodwill while simultaneously strengthening the roster in a big way.