Maybe it’s because I’ve been following it more than years past, but the Major League Baseball offseason is exciting. Seeing the big-name free agents changing teams left and right is a lot of fun, and in some cases these moves might shake up the final standings a little bit.

As much as I want teams like the Phillies and Angels to make moves to get back into the postseason, my loyalty lies with the Cubs, whose front office currently lies dormant, missing out on some of the big names that could’ve helped them most. Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Robbie Ray, I would’ve taken any of them. Other game-changing players are still available, like Trevor Story and Carlos Correa, but given the Cubs’ inactivity I’m not confident they’ll make a play for either of those shortstops.

One interesting signing has been Yan Gomes, a catcher, meaning they’re likely parting ways with Willson Contreras, one of the last holdovers from the 2016 championship team. If they trade Contreras, I hope they get something good in return. Obviously, I’d prefer a win-now approach because I don’t want to wait for four years of 70-win teams, but I imagine they’d get prospects for him.

Other signings include Wade Miley, who isn’t a bad acquisition, given he had a 3.37 earned run average last year and only gave up 17 home runs while facing 690 batters, but overall he’s a three or four on a competitive team. The good news is the Cubs signed Marcus Stroman after I originally finished writing this column, so now I have a lot less to complain about. Stroman is a definite ace and can lead a rotation that also includes Kyle Hendricks and Miley.

They also signed Clint Frazier, who has never hit above .270. I’m forcing myself to be optimistic about the fact that Frazier might be the big bat in the lineup for the 2022 season.

The Cubs aren’t going to compete with the Cardinals or Brewers this upcoming season. They’ll be better than the Pirates and maybe make a case for third in the National League Central ahead of the Reds. The hapless front office will ultimately probably lead to a few years of bad baseball on the North Side. Cubs front office, if you’re reading this, I’d be more than happy to eat my words. Sign a big name! One of the few remaining!

They won’t, though. It’s time to buckle up for a rebuild. Hopefully it’s shorter than the last one.

Ryan Meyer is a senior journalism major. He can be reached at rameyer@eiu.edu or at 581-2812.