Hoyer: Cubs intend to field 'really competitive team' in 2021

Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer insists the club plans to be competitive in 2021 despite recently trading ace right-hander Yu Darvish.

"As far as our direction, I think we're going to have a really competitive team next year," Hoyer said Wednesday, according to the Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan.

Hoyer explained the decision to move Darvish, who finished second in NL Cy Young voting in 2020, wasn't "financially motivated," even though the 34-year-old is owed $59 million over the next three seasons.

A report in November suggested rival executives believed the Cubs could engage in a heavy restart with their roster ahead of the 2021 campaign. However, Hoyer made it clear the club is focused on winning games while also making moves with the future in mind.

"We always have an eye on the finances of every deal. In 2020, obviously, some of those things are magnified," Hoyer said, according to The Athletic's Patrick Mooney. "But that was not the focus. The focus of this deal was to try to move a player in the second half of his contract and acquire a lot of young talent."

Chicago traded Darvish and catcher Victor Caratini to the San Diego Padres in exchange for pitcher Zach Davies and four prospects Monday.

The Cubs, who lost to the Miami Marlins in the wild-card round after winning the NL Central, have also reportedly been considering trades involving third baseman Kris Bryant.

Willson Contreras has been the subject of trade speculation, but Hoyer said the catcher isn't being shopped, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.

Other core members such as Javier Baez and Anthony Rizzo are eligible for free agency in 2022.

"We have not been able to extend a lot of these players to extend that window. That's a fact," Hoyer explained, according to Mooney. "So with that, we know that we're coming to the end of this group of players. A wildly successful, franchise-changing run with this group of players - we're coming to the end."