The Chicago Cubs are reportedly eyeing Cleveland Guardians executive Carter Hawkins as their next general manager, according to Brittany Ghiroli (and others) at The Athletic.
Hawkins, an assistant general manager with the Guardians, had spent nearly 14 years in the Cleveland organization. He originally joined the franchise as an advance scouting intern before working his way up the ladder on the scouting and player development side. He was named an assistant GM in November 2016, coincidentally just weeks after Cleveland lost to the Cubs in the World Series.
Presuming Hawkins is hired, his job will be to build the next Cubs team with competitive aspirations. Chicago traded away most of its core at the deadline, including franchise cornerstones Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Javier Báez en route to a 71-91 record and a top-10 draft pick.
The Cubs have made waves about being active in free agency this winter. Here's what we wrote about that prospect back in September:
The Cubs should have the financial means to do as they please this winter. According to Cot's Contracts, they have less than $40 million in guaranteed money on the books for next season. That figure will increase once arbitration prizes are awarded to catcher Willson Contreras and outfielder Ian Happ, provided both remain with the organization, yet the Cubs fielded an Opening Day payroll of $147 million this season. Chicago wouldn't have to spend the whole difference to make multiple splashes this offseason.
The Cubs have not had an official general manager since last offseason, when team president Theo Epstein stepped away from the organization. Jed Hoyer was then elevated into Epstein's position, vacating his post as general manager. (Hoyer still ran the baseball operations department, rendering the lack of a GM less alarming than it appears.)
The Athletic reported last week that Hawkins was one of the finalists for the job, alongside Carlos Rodriguez (Rays), James Harris (Guardians) and Jeremy Zoll (Twins).
