DALLAS — The Cubs remain involved in the Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder sweepstakes, whether they’re serious contenders or not.
A St. Louis Post-Dispatch report said the Cubs made a qualifying offer to Pujols and are expected to do likewise with Fielder.
Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said the team’s policy is not to confirm or deny rumors but added it would be a mistake for them to concentrate on the two premier free-agent first basemen at the winter meetings.
“They’re the two players we’re involved in, but to wait around for things to happen, you can miss out,” he said. “So we’re working on a lot of fronts.”
While Pujols reportedly was contemplating a 10-year offer worth more than $200 million from the Marlins on Tuesday, the Cubs were believed to have made an offer in the same salary range but at far fewer years. It’s a way to keep in the game without overextending their budget but made them decided long shots at signing the slugger.
The same strategy would apply to Fielder, who theoretically could agree to a shorter deal than Pujols, knowing it likely wouldn’t be his final contract.
The Cubs’ ace in the hole with Fielder is manager Dale Sveum, who would be involved in recruiting his friend from the Brewers. Sveum said he had no knowledge of the Cubs’ pursuit of Fielder but acknowledged he probably would be part of the process if it gets to that point.
“He’s just one of those special guys who come around once in a lifetime,” Sveum said. “He should have played the game in the 1950s, ’60 and ’70s, when guys played as hard as they possibly could every single day. They cared about winning. They cared about their teammates. Prince is all those things.”
If the Marlins manage to reel in Pujols, the Cubs could have interest in Miami first baseman Gaby Sanchez, a right-handed hitter with a .309 career average against left-handers, for a possible platoon situation with left-handed-hitting Bryan LaHair.
Teams have to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players by Monday, so many players who are in danger of being non-tendered are being shopped. One of President Theo Epstein’s most significant moves when he became general manager with the Red Sox was signing David Ortiz after the Twins non-tendered him in 2002.
“People don’t just non-tender a guy without trying to move him,” Hoyer said. “Of course you might be surprised by a name or two when that list comes out, but we have a pretty good idea who that is. Sometimes it’s worth making a trade for that kind of guy, and sometimes it’s worth letting that date come and try to figure out what happens.”
Sveum believes the Cubs can win in 2012 behind their pitching, citing the top three in the rotation of Matt Garza, Ryan Dempster and Carlos Zambrano.
“You put some runs up on the board and you get hot, you’re going to win with that kind of pitching staff,” he said.
Sveum said he has spoken to some players, including Dempster, Starlin Castro and Jeff Samardzija, and plans to talk to everyone before Christmas, including Zambrano.
What kind of message will he give Zambranno?
“I just want to get to know him a little bit more than anything,” he said. “There’s no message you send a guy. He knows his track record. It’s not something I have to mention to him. He knows what he has done in the past and knows he has to change that past. If you put those three guys at the top of your starting rotation, we have a chance of winning with the bullpen we have. That’s what you have to get him to understand about winning and coming out of the gate.”
Twitter @PWSullivan
