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  • Chicago Cubs Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

    The latest Chicago Cubs free agent and trade rumors, along with notes and tidbits about the team.
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    Bertz
    Following the Kyle Tucker trade, Cubs' GM Carter Hawkins indicated that the team would look to free agency to help backfill the 3B production the team lost with Isaac Paredes headed to Houston.  Mark Feinsand reports today that the Cubs are looking at former Mariners and Diamondbacks infielder Josh Rojas.
    It seems all but certain that Matt Shaw is being eyed as the primary 3B for 2025, but given his limited time in AAA and then risk associated with just handing any rookie a full time job, and strong backup is a necessity.  Josh Rojas is a strong defender and a solid hitter, and as a lefty can help compliment Shaw by taking matchups versus tough righties.  Rojas can also cover 2B, possibly useful if Nico Hoerner's recovery from surgery stretches into the new season.
    Rojas was non-tendered by the Mariners last month, and was projected by MLBTR to make $4.3M in arbitration.  Therefore even on the open market it's unlikely he costs more than about $5M per year to sign.
    Brock Beauchamp
    Bruce Levine tweeted the Cubs are meeting with Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki.
    Sasaki is going to be pursued by nearly every team in baseball (probably not the Rockies because, you know, it's the Rockies). Sasaki is not the typical Japanese player posting; like Shohei Ohtani, special rules apply to his posting and he is limited to signing a contract within a team's international signing budget allotment. He will then be subject to six years of team control, becoming arbitration-eligible after three seasons like any other "typical" prospect.
    Sasaki will play his age-23 season in 2025. In Japan, he has a career 2.02 ERA in 414 innings pitched. The young Japanese hurler is represented by Joel Wolfe, the man who also represents Seiya Suzuki.
    Bertz
    Rumors around Jesus Luzardo were so hot and heavy over the last week that a deal was beginning to feel inevitable. Apparently not as Bruce Levine, who has been most plugged into this potential deal, declares that it's currently "dead."
    Luzardo has an extensive injury history, including major back issues in 2024. It's possible that medicals scuttled a deal either directly or indirectly by making it difficult for the clubs to align on a price that properly weighed the risk/reward.
    It's also hard not to view this in conjunction with yesterday's Cody Bellinger trade. While not simply "the cheap option", Luzardo was one of the lowest salary starting pitching options on the market. Did Jed Hoyer's newfound infusion of cash open up more attractive opportunities? Or did Hoyer push to free up cash as a response to this deal dying on the vine?
    Brock Beauchamp
    Bruce Levine, appearing on the Mully & Haugh Show, spoke on the Cubs' continued pursuit of Marlins starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo.
    Levine mentioned that the Cubs have been in pursuit of Luzardo for weeks and would like to get a deal done in the next few days. He also takes a look at Chicago's pursuit of a new closer and mentions that Jed Hoyer, Cubs' President of Baseball Operations, is looking to complete trades before turning to the free agent market this offseason. There is also a bunch of information on the Bellinger trade talks with the Yankees, including what the Cubs' goals are in any potential deal with New York.
    There are a bunch of useful tidbits in the link above, give it a listen.
    Brock Beauchamp
    The Cubs have been in talks with the New York Yankees about a Cody Bellinger trade for at least a couple of weeks, possibly longer. From reports we have heard, there is agreement (or close to it) on players changing hands. The Yankees, after missing out on Juan Soto, are looking at other ways to improve the lineup and have keyed in on Bellinger as a fit.
    Bellinger is an excellent fit for the Yankees, which is why the two sides are largely in agreement on the trade. The major sticking point is dollars; Bellinger is owed $27.5 million this coming season but has a $25 million player option in 2026. In taking this contract, it will be hard for the Yankees to predict their total expenditure and they're trying to mitigate some of the risk by having the Cubs pay a portion of the contract.
    Brock Beauchamp
    Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic mentioned that while second baseman Nico Hoerner had been floated in trade rumors earlier in the offseason, the Cubs are likely pulling him back off the market in the wake of the Kyle Tucker trade.
    In the Tucker trade, the Cubs sent third baseman (and recent acquisition) Isaac Paredes to Houston, freeing up third base for prospect Matt Shaw to claim at some point in 2025. Though it should be added the Cubs are likely in the market for at least a part-time third baseman as Shaw insurance.
    With Paredes off the roster, the Cubs now have an open infield spot for Shaw to claim, making a Hoerner trade unnecessary.
    Bertz
    The Cubs' search for starting pitching was seemingly put on pause while the team finalized their deal for Jesus Luzardo, but it appears to have resumed in earnest.
    Jesus Luzardo had a lost season in 2024 with separate elbow and back injuries, not pitching at all after June 16th. However, in 2023, Jesus was one of the best pitchers in baseball and seemed to be a young budding ace.
    With that immense talent and two years of control at low arbitration salaries, Luzardo still figures to command a sizable prospect return even after his down year in 2024.
    Brock Beauchamp
    The Cubs pulled off their big improvement to the lineup via the Kyle Tucker trade with the Houston Astros.
    Now it's time to turn their attention to the pitching staff, the rotation in particular.
    Ryan Divish and Adam Jude of The Seattle Times wrote a round-up of Castillo rumors, mentioning that the Cubs have shown interest. In return, the Mariners have been interested in second baseman Nico Hoerner, so much so that the Cubs and Mariners were nearing a three-team deal with Hoerner going to Seattle while the Cubs acquired Garrett Crochet from the White Sox.
    The Mariners have quietly spread rumors that 32-year-old Luis Castillo might be available in trade. He could likely be had for a reasonable prospect return due to the fact he is owed roughly $24 million per season through 2027 with a $25 million vesting option in 2028 but had roughly league-average performance in 2024.
    Any acquiring team would be betting on Castillo returning to previous form, where he was a well above-average starting pitcher most teams would be thrilled to have in a playoff rotation.
    Bertz
    The Cubs continue to cast a wide net on late inning relievers.  Hardly a surprise after how many issues the team's bullpen had in 2024.  Two separate names were mentioned Monday afternoon from the winter meetings
    In between injuries, AJ Minter has been one of the best lefty handed relievers in the league the last 5 years, sporting a 2.85 ERA over 243 innings.  A hip injury which required surgery ended Minter's season in August.
    Kyle Finnegan was the Nationals' closer for much of the year, though he was non tendered last month as his arbitration salary exceeded what the Nationals were comfortable paying him.
    Both names are in line with Kirby Yates and Andrew Chafin, who the team was tied to last week by Bruce Levine.  Not exactly playing against type, Jed Hoyer seems to be zeroing in on relievers who have late inning stuff and experience but aren't quite in line for multi-year deals.
    Brock Beauchamp
    Alex Speier of The Boston Globe mentioned in a recent write-up that the Seattle Mariners are listening when opposing GMs come calling for Luis Castillo.
    Castillo turns 32 in a few days. A reliable frontline starter for several years, the righty's ERA took a step backward in 2024 but most of his peripherals suggest the situation is far from dire. He lost roughly half a mile per hour on his pitches but metrics such as Stuff+ and Statcast are conflicted on whether the quality of his pitches changed significantly enough to warrant his ERA dropping to roughly league-average.
    Castillo is signed for a little over $24 million per season through 2027 and has a vesting option for 2028 at $25 million.
    The Mariners have one of the best rotations in baseball but spend every season trying to scrape together enough runs to reach meaningful October baseball. There is a good chance they end up dealing some of that pitching for long-term lineup help.
    Bertz
    Here on the first day of the winter meetings, he Athletic provided an article touching on a number of Cubs subjects.  Among them Sahadev Sharma provided an update on the Cubs plans at catcher:
    Carson Kelly was written up last week as a Cubs target by Bruce Levine.  Given his place as the last remaining starting caliber catcher on the market, it seems likely his free agency comes to a head here at the winter meetings.
    If free agency doesn't prove a viable path for upgrading the position, it will be interesting to see what the team attempts via trade.  Logan O'Hoppe was reportedly the team's target at the trade deadline, but the Angels seem intent on attempting to compete in 2025.
    Bertz
    The duo over at The Athletic has been plugged into the Cubs thinking this winter.  This morning, they provide a little clarity on the teams' pursuit of starting pitching, as well as some timing:
    The wait on the Juan Soto sweepstakes and how that impacts the Cody Bellinger market is mentioned as a factor in the Cubs' decision making.  Presumably that could cut both ways, either allowing directly for a SP to be brought in as part of a Bellinger trade, or freeing up money to pursue a wider range of free agents.
    Walker Buehler is name checked as a potential target.  Though that middle class of free agent starters is moving quickly, so he may be gone by the time any requisite trade dominos fall.
    Bertz
    Tucked in an article about the Cubs' efforts to trade Cody Bellinger, Bruce Levine today also clarified targets for two other items on the to-do list: catcher and the bullpen.
    As the top two catchers on the (pretty weak) free agent catching market, Danny Jansen and Carson Kelly have long made sense as Cubs fits, but neither has had many tangible ties. Further, the note about Jansen's trade talks this winter appears to be new reporting.
    On the relief front, Chafin and Yates are both new names.  Again, they make sense logically; the Cubs need left-handed relief help.  Chafin is a long-time quality lefty setup man, and Yates' changeup allows the righty to function like a southpaw.
    Bertz
    Because of the logical fit, a Mariners/Cubs swap of infielders for starting pitching has been oft discussed in the blog-o-sphere.  Turns out it has been discussed in real life as well.
    No specific names are mentioned from Seattle's side, but it's hard to imagine someone other than one of their young starting pitchers being Jed's target.
    One potential wrinkle is that the Mariners seem to prefer addressing first and third base rather than the middle infield.
    Would Hoerner move over to third base? Or is Hoerner uniquely talented enough that they would move someone else internally over to the hot corner to accommodate him?
    Bertz
    This morning, MLB Network's JP Morosi lists the Cubs along with the Red Sox as notable candidates for White Sox ace Garret Crochet
    While cross-town deal are always more difficult to get across the line, the Jose Quintana and Craig Kimbrel deals in recent years have shown big deals can still get done between the clubs.
    Setting aside messy politics, the two clubs are actually very strong fits for each other on paper.  The Cubs want to add pitching talent, yet have self imposed payroll restrictions keeping them from shopping at the top of free agency.  Crochet's $3M projected salary can fit any team's budget.
    From the White Sox perspective, they're hoping to avoid furthering the historic levels of futility they displayed last year.  Selecting the Cubs as a trade partner allows them to acquire potential impact  minor league talent that has a first half of 2025 ETA and can help the big league club in short order.
     
    Matthew Lenz
    Hot off the press, Jon Morosi of MLB Network said the following about the Chicago Cubs (and Cincinnati Reds) regarding 25-year-old left-handed starter Garrett Crochet:
    Of note, he's also been linked to the Boston Red Sox on more than one occasion.
    Recently, the Chicago White Sox are said to be interested in prospects that are a little further away from the Majors as their current rebuild is going to be a multi-year effort.
    The 25-year-old southpaw became a full-time starter in 2024 after three seasons in a relief role and posted a 3.58 ERA / 2.69 FIP and an elite 29.6% K-BB rate across 146 innings. His 97 mile-per-hour fastball was one of the most effective pitches in baseball holding opponents to a .198 batting average and producing a run value of 15. He also has a cutter, sweeper, and changeup.
    Yes, the price will be immense but acquiring an elite 25-year-old, controllable starter is hard to pass up.
     
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