The Los Angeles Dodgers can’t sign every free agent. There is, of course, more to the strategy behind the bullpen the Chicago Cubs are trying to build. But in quick succession, the reigning World Series champs outbid the Cubs for Tanner Scott and closed in on a deal with Kirby Yates, crossing two names off Jed Hoyer’s long list of bullpen options.

That leaves the Cubs still casting a wide net in their search for bullpen help. The group under consideration this winter, according to league sources briefed on the team’s discussions, has included Kenley Jansen, David Robertson, Ryan Pressly, Phil Maton, Ryne Stanek and Brooks Raley. For context, though, the list of relievers the Cubs have seriously evaluated easily reaches double digits.

Those names illustrate the different ways the Cubs can go after Scott recently agreed to a four-year, $72 million contract with the Dodgers in yet another example of the rich getting richer.

Jansen and Robertson are both free agents in their late 30s, with experience in big markets and the World Series, plus more than 600 career saves combined. Maton and Stanek are longtime setup guys who would bring different elements of stuff. Raley, who was drafted by the Cubs over a decade ago in 2009, would represent more of a second-half reinforcement since he’s recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Pressly, meanwhile, is entering the final year of his contract with the Houston Astros, which includes a no-trade clause and a $14 million salary. With Josh Hader employed as Houston’s closer — and the club still closely monitoring the $241 million luxury-tax threshold even after the Kyle Tucker trade — Pressly has drawn trade interest.

Pressly, 36, is a two-time All-Star with a World Series ring and a 2.78 ERA in 47 postseason appearances, a resume that might look even better when compared to the going rate for top free-agent relievers.

What if Alex Bregman settles for a Cody Bellinger-style contract?

At this point, that’s an interesting thought exercise for the Cubs rather than a real possibility.

To start, Bregman expects a long-term deal after reportedly turning down a six-year, $156 million offer to return to the Astros. The Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox are among the teams that have been linked to Bregman and have not yet completed their offseason work. By comparison, the All-Star third baseman appears to have more options than Bellinger did last winter.

Bregman and Bellinger are both represented by agent Scott Boras, who steered Bellinger back to the Cubs after the start of spring training last year. Bellinger signed a three-year, $80 million contract with opt-out clauses.

When the Cubs traded Bellinger to the New York Yankees last month, it showed some of the limitations to this year’s budget for baseball operations. The move wasn’t strictly made to dump salary. The acquisition of Tucker, combined with the emergence of other players, created too much roster overlap with Bellinger. And the Cubs wanted to reallocate resources to their pitching staff.

Bregman’s high salary on a theoretical short-term deal would not fit in the current budget for baseball operations, according to sources briefed on the team’s plans. At least not in a way that would also allow the front office to effectively acquire a closer, deepen the bullpen, fill out the bench, remain open to other opportunities and stay in the range of the $241 million luxury-tax threshold.

The short-term hypothetical also doesn’t work for the Cubs, in part, because they tripped over the luxury-tax threshold by a small amount last year and Bregman declined a qualifying offer. Signing Bregman would cost the Cubs their second- and fifth-round draft picks, plus the bonus money attached to those selections, as well as $1 million from their international pool. The organization places an extremely high value on all of those assets.

Dansby Swanson should be fully ready for spring training

The Cubs were caught off guard when All-Star shortstop Dansby Swanson detailed a core muscle injury that ultimately required surgery to repair a sports hernia. Swanson addressed the nagging issue after this past season and underwent the procedure in early October, though he traced the problem back to 2023, the first year of his seven-year, $177 million contract.

“I’ve been dealing with this for a pretty long time,” Swanson said. “Over a year, probably like a season-and-a-half worth. I wasn’t quite sure what it was in the beginning. That’s why I didn’t do surgery (right away). I did a bunch of rehab things. But it got to the point where it felt like this was going to be necessary. And it’s going to be something that can kind of get me back to where I want to be.”

Swanson’s durability was appealing when the Cubs targeted him as a free agent. He had played the entire 162-game schedule in 2022 and appeared in 160 games the year prior, plus 37 total playoff games during his time with the Atlanta Braves.

Though something was amiss last season, Swanson still finished strong, posting a .795 OPS after the All-Star break, putting together his best offensive month by far in September and continuing to play Gold Glove-caliber defense.

“No one’s going to give excuses for this, that and the other,” Swanson said. “It was obviously my choice to play, and play through things. We all do throughout the year. You see guys all the time at the end of the year: ‘Oh, I didn’t realize you were dealing with that.’ No one makes excuses about it. But obviously when you’re healthy, it affects things. And it’s obviously our job to figure out how to still be a productive player in different ways.”

Swanson expects to be a full participant when spring training opens, and be ready for Opening Day in Tokyo against the Dodgers.

“That’s the plan,” Swanson said. “It’s a little bit of a different ramp-up than years past because of the series in Japan, but I knew that going into the procedure. I’m just excited to be able to get back out there.”

Pete Crow-Armstrong and the leadoff question

At the Cubs Convention, manager Craig Counsell was asked if Crow-Armstrong could be a leadoff hitter this season. While it’s probably too early to talk about lineup construction — and though Counsell didn’t outright dismiss the idea — it seems unlikely to happen anytime soon.

“Best offensive players hit the most,” Counsell said. “That’s kind of always going to be the original thought. I think Pete could get there. Pete is a developing baseball player and we still want to get that right. There’s no lineup decisions made. But, frankly, gut says no Pete at the top to start the year.”

Crow-Armstrong had a .286 on-base percentage last season, but starting July 27 — a turning point with some mechanics and performance — that jumped to .336. Not elite, but still well above the league average of .312 last season. If Crow-Armstrong can get on base at that rate, moving him atop the lineup could be worth it with his elite speed.

For now, Counsell wants to keep the pressure off Crow-Armstrong as he continues to develop. Despite a hot finish to the season, Crow-Armstrong is not a finished product and his production will be key if the Cubs are going to outperform expectations.

Who else could lead off? Ian Happ has the on-base skills to do so, and Nico Hoerner has had some success there. Tucker will likely bat second or third. Other than that, Counsell wasn’t giving lineup hints in the middle of January.

Asked if his gut told him who may be at the top to start the year, Counsell gave his typical non-answer: “Not Pete.”

(Top photo of Ryan Pressly: Troy Taormina / Imagn Images)