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North Side Baseball

  • Trade Rumors

    Follow the latest Chicago Cubs trade rumors and free agent targets from around the league, with analysis.

    183 rumors in this category

      Brandon Glick

      A cloud of uncertainty hangs above the Houston Astros’ heads. The team is off to a wildly disappointing start this season, as they currently sit in third place in the AL West behind the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners. Many pundits are predicting a firesale for the team if they don’t right the ship soon, and we discussed Jon Heyman connecting the Cubs to Justin Verlander yesterday.

      Now, speculation has arisen surrounding star third baseman Alex Bregman. Bregman, 30, is in the midst of the final year of his contract ($28.5 million salary, $16.6 million AAV against the luxury tax) and having one of the worst years of his pro career. He’s slashing just .223/.284/.349 through 183 plate appearances, which is good for a disappointing 84 OPS+. However, he was far better in 2022 and 2023 (OPS above .800 in both seasons), and he isn’t too far removed from two consecutive top-five finishes in AL MVP voting in 2018 and 2019 (when he had an OPS+ above 155).

      It is worth noting that Bregman has a history of starting slow, though, and has done by far his best work in August (.996 OPS) throughout his career.

      Christopher Morel has done a nice job at the hot corner since starting slow defensively, which could make the Cubs hesitant to pay the asking price on Bregman, who hasn’t played a position other than third base since 2019 (65 games at shortstop). Like Verlander, his rental status would drive down the prospect cost to acquire Bregman, though his large salary could make the Cubs’ front office hesitant to pull the trigger.

      What do you think? Should the Cubs reinforce a lineup that can’t seem to stay healthy in 2024? Should they make that bet on a hitter that’s been ice cold to start the season?

       

      Brandon Glick

      MLB Insider Jon Heyman said that the Houston Astros, currently sporting a 20-25 record and third in the AL Central, could begin selling off some of their shorter-term pieces in the coming months if they don’t turn things around quickly. The most notable player he mentioned is starting pitcher Justin Verlander, whom he connected directly to the Cubs. 

      Verlander, 41, has a 3.38 ERA in 29 and ⅓ innings this season. He’s currently in the final year of a two-year, $86 million pact he originally signed with the New York Mets, which could mean the Astros have to eat some money in order to move him (especially to a team that is trying to avoid the luxury tax, like the Cubs). The veteran starter is just two years removed from winning his third AL Cy Young Award in 2022, when he led the junior circuit in wins (18), ERA (1.75), ERA+ (218), WHIP (0.829), and hits allowed per nine innings (6.0).

      Notably, Verlander’s strikeout rate has plummeted over the last couple of seasons, dropping from 9.5 K/9 in 2022 to just 7.1 K/9 in 2024. Still, he remains a wildly effective starting pitcher who is capable of gobbling up innings. Most Cubs fans will remember the team’s failed pursuit of Verlander in 2017, when the ace pitcher badly wanted to go to Chicago once the Detroit Tigers placed him on (the since defunct) tradeable waivers in August. Instead, the Cubs opted against trading what little talent remained in their farm system, and Verlander was sent to the Astros, whom he won two World Series titles with.

      The Cubs have been pounded with injuries this season at every position, though their rotation depth has been pushed to the extreme already. All of Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, Jordan Wicks, Kyle Hendricks, and Drew Smyly have been on the Injured List at some point or another this season, and the Cubs have had to rely heavily on the arms of Shota Imanaga and Javier Assad. Nevertheless, the Cubs rank 12th in the MLB in ERA despite an abysmal performance from the bullpen, and that’s thanks to the terrific work of players like Imanaga, Assad, Ben Brown, and Hayden Wesneski.

      Trading for a 41-year-old pitcher is way outside of Jed Hoyer’s wheelhouse, though Verlander is only a (expensive) rental. Would he be willing to pay the prospect cost for someone who might stretch the budget and not fill the team’s biggest area of need (the relief corps)? With Cade Horton possibly on the way soon, it’s hard to imagine the Cubs really being in deep on Verlander.

      Brock Beauchamp

      The Oakland Athletics currently hold a semi-respectable 19-25 record in the American League West but given their current payroll and stadium situation, are likely to be early wheelers and dealers on the trade market.

      Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic recently wrote that A's closer, Mason Miller, is drawing significant trade interest from other teams. The trade deadline seems to be heating up quite early this year as teams like the White Sox and Marlins throw up white flags after abysmal starts to the season.

      Miller, 25 years old, has broken out in 2024 with a 0.98 ERA in 14 games. He made his debut with Oakland last season so is still pre-arbitration and cannot become a free agent until the 2029 season.

      The asking price for Miller will be very high but he's also a luxury a rebuilding A's team doesn't need in the here and now, making him somewhat expendable. The Cubs have both a pressing need for a closer and the farm system to easily negotiate this deal, it's a matter of whether Hoyer is ready to take a risk on a formerly-injured pitcher with a short track record.

      Cubs Whispers

      Source: Cubs in trade talks with teams involving Keegan Thompson

      Rumor posted by "@HotStoveCubbies" is that the Cubs are shopping Keegan Thompson due to an abundance of arms on the 40 man roster and in the minors who are close enough to the majors that they like better. Source cites Thompson's high number of walks allowed as to why the Cubs are willing to part with him.

      The Rays are mentioned prominently as a likely team the Cubs are talking to due to Rays interest expressed earlier for Thompson when the two teams discussed a trade for Tyler Glasnow before he was ultimately traded by the Rays to the Dodgers. Further discussion mentions the Rays abundance of infield bats as a potential match between the two teams.

      Cubs Whispers

      Cubs Potential Landing Spot For SP Jordan Montgomery Per Heyman

      Jon Heyman via live chat on X with Bleacher Report moments ago and lists the Cubs along with the Red Sox, Giants, and Angels as speculative most likely landing spots for free agent starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery. Heyman cited Jordan's close friendship with Cubs starter Jameson Taillon as to why the Cubs are an attractive spot for Montgomery. In the clip Heyman also mentioned that Cody Bellinger landing back with the Cubs is still the most likely scenario and that the Cubs are still expected to do more to fill out their roster.

      Brock Beauchamp

      Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, in his typically-great free agent roundup, ran through remaining free agents in the wake of the Josh Hader deal in Houston.

      It appears Cody Bellinger and his agent Scott Boras are still pursuing a deal in excess of $200 million, which is the reason he remains unsigned. The Blue Jays remain very interested but are balking at that price tag. Cubs' President of Baseball Operations, Jed Hoyer, is remaining patient in hopes that Bellinger's price will drop in either years or total dollars.

      Feinsand remains optimistic that the Cubs are still the most likely landing spot for the 28 year old center fielder.

      Brock Beauchamp

      At Cubs Con over the weekend, it feels like two of the most talked-about players were not in attendance: Cody Bellinger and Christopher Morel.

      Bellinger, while still a free agent, was expected to be a point of conversation. Morel, on the other hand, has been involved in more trade rumors this weekend than you can shake a stick at and he was unable to attend the convention to due to visa issues. Patrick Mooney of The Athletic wrote up this substantive piece about Morel over the weekend.

      Morel has often found himself position-less in recent years and that problem is only magnified with the recent addition of Michael Busch. Morel is still only 24 years old and given his offensive output (110 OPS+ in 854 plate appearances), it's hard to envision the Cubs walking away from the depth he provides unless the offer is substantial.

      Brock Beauchamp

      Jon Morosi has reported the Yankees and Marcus Stroman have had "productive conversations", leading to him speculating the elder New York club is the most likely to sign the 32-year-old righty.

      Stroman opted out of his contract with the Cubs at the conclusion of the 2023 season, hoping to build upon the $21 million he was set to earn in Chicago in 2024. With the Cubs agreeing to terms with Shota Imanaga on Tuesday, their immediate need for help at the top (or mid, depending how you view Imanaga) has lessened but there are still question marks surrounding the North Siders' rotation, which would be helped enormously with the return of Stroman.

       

      Brock Beauchamp

      Shota Imanaga's signing deadline is a little over 48 hours away (5pm Eastern, January 11th) and teams are dropping out of the bidding, according to Jon Heyman.

      Imanaga, 30 years old, has been rumored to receive upwards of $100 million but teams have balked at that price point, possibly due to physical concerns.

      According to Heyman, the Cubs and Red Sox are still in play and possibly the leaders to sign the veteran left-hander.

       

      Brock Beauchamp

      Shota Imanaga remains unsigned but his posting deadline now looms. The Japanese lefty needs to sign by 5pm Eastern Time on Thursday, January 11th. The Cubs have been linked to Imanaga in several reports, along with the San Francisco Giants.

      What is causing the delay? While it's somewhat unclear, there have been rumblings that teams are wary of the 30 year old's medicals, possibly his shoulder. Once assumed to be a near-lock for a $100 million deal, with the deadline approaching and no solid rumors linking him to specific teams, how much Imanaga will sign for and where is up in the air.

      Brock Beauchamp

      Patrick Mooney of The Athletic wrote a comprehensive round-up of Cubs rumors and mentioned several note-worthy things:

      1. The Cubs are expected to be in on Japanese starting pitcher Shota Imanaga once his (higher-dollar) countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto selects a team. Imanaga, 30 years old, will come at a much lower AAV and years than Yamamoto.

      2. Christopher Morel is trade bait but the Cubs appear to be wary of trading him for a pure rental player.

      3. The Cubs realize they need a third baseman but don't appear closely linked to any specific players at this point in time.

      If you'd like to read the entire rundown and many bullet points I did not list, click the link above.

      Brock Beauchamp

      Jon Heyman of the New York post reported that Cody Bellinger and his agent, Scott Boras, are asking for a contract north of $200 million.

      Bellinger reportedly liked his time in the friendly confines and is interested in returning to the Cubs provided they meet his terms. Bellinger had an excellent bounce back season in 2023, posting a 133 OPS+ and 4.4 rWAR. The center fielder struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness following his 2019 MVP season with the Dodgers but despite how long he has been in the league and the ups and downs of his career, 2024 will be his age-28 season.

      Brock Beauchamp

      According to Bruce Levine of 670 The Score, the Los Angeles Dodgers are in talks to acquire the Tampa Bay Rays' oft-injured star pitcher, Tyler Glasnow. The Cubs have been linked off and on to Glasnow in several reports over the past month.

      The Dodgers recently signed Shohei Ohtani to a mega-deal but he will be unavailable to pitch in 2024. With Julio Urias facing potential legal trouble, the Dodgers need starting pitching help on a level they haven't seen in years. Los Angeles also has the prospect capital to be a thorn in the Cubs' side as they pursue some of the same pitchers in both the free agent and trade markets.

       

      Brock Beauchamp

      Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com wrote that the Cubs are one of the interested parties in acquiring first baseman and outfielder Josh Naylor. Naylor, 26 years old, is arbitration-eligible and will not become a free agent until after the 2025 season.

      Naylor is a potent left-handed bat, which fits the Cubs' needs for the lineup well after the departure of free agent Cody Bellinger. Naylor posted a 133 OPS+ during the 2023 season and has a career 111 mark.

      Brock Beauchamp

      Jon Morosi of MLB Network tweeted today that the free-agent dual-way player, Shohei Ohtani, may decide which team is awarded his services today.

      The general sentiment around baseball is that the Los Angeles Dodgers are the front-runners for the free agent. In recent weeks, he has known to have met with the Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants as well. The Angels still appear to be in play, though it's unclear what they could do to convince Ohtani to return, seeing as they had Ohtani for several years - along with Mike Trout - and failed to make the postseason even once.

      It is basically unknown where the Cubs stand in this situation. Jed Hoyer disputed earlier reports from Bob Nightengale that the northsiders were shifting focus away from Ohtani but little is known beyond that.

       

      Brock Beauchamp

      It has been widely rumored the Cubs would be willing to part with the young (and largely positionless) Christopher Morel this offseason and when it comes to the Cubs' potential acquisition of oft-injured starter Tyler Glasnow, Morel's name has been mentioned.

      It is expected that Tampa Bay will move Glasnow before the season starts; with one year remaining of team control, trading a starting pitcher is a textbook Rays-ian move. Not only that but the right-hander's $25 million salary in 2024 puts a large dent in the always-frugal Rays payroll planning.

      Morel, 25 years old, has played all non-pitcher/catcher positions on the diamond for the Cubs over the past two seasons. He has a solid 110 OPS+ over 854 plate appearances but seemingly does not factor into the Cubs' long term plans at any position.

       

      Brock Beauchamp

      The closely-guarded secret that is Shohei Ohtani contract negotiations are taking a turn against the Cubs, reports USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

      Recently, we've seen a spate of teams shift focus away from Ohtani. With the Mets, Red Sox, and others moving away from Ohtani, it felt the Cubs were part of a dwindling set of serious competitors for the two-way player's services. Now it appears, for unknown reasons, the Cubs may need to do the same.

      Who does that leave in the mix? We haven't heard anything at all from the Yankees but there are rumors swirling around the Giants and Blue Jays; Ohtani has reportedly met with both over the past several days.

       

      Brock Beauchamp

      Jeff Passan of ESPN reported today that the Mets, Rangers, and Red Sox are shifting their focus away from free agent Shohei Ohtani. The Rangers, recent big-spenders in free agency, could be in a state of flux with reports being released they could be the next victim of the Bally Sports bankruptcy.

      This follows reports that the Mariners are also unlikely to sign the free agent two-way player.

      As the field narrows, this is good for the Cubs and Cubs fans. Given the Padres' recent financial troubles and the unfortunate death of primary stakeholder Peter Seidler, they feel like an unlikely destination for Ohtani.

      By most accounts, that whittles Ohtani's potential suitors to four teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers (widely believed to be the favorites), the San Francisco Giants, the New York Yankees, and the Chicago Cubs.

      Brock Beauchamp

      Jon Morosi has reported the Cubs and Reds are interested in starting pitchers Shane Bieber and Tyler Glasnow. Both pitchers have one year remaining before free agency.

      While both starters have persistent injury concerns, Bieber dropped off in 2023 in a way that Glasgow did not. Bieber, the 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner, has gone from striking out over 14 batters per nine that year to only 7.5 batters per nine in 2023.

      Glasnow, while more consistent in performance, has suffered endless setbacks during his career. In 2023, he made a career-best 21 starts. His previous high was just 14 starts in 2021.

      Glasnow will earn $25 million in 2024 while Bieber has yet to go through arbitration but is expected to make around $12 million.

       

      Rex Buckingham

      Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Cardinals are nearing the finalization of a deal to bring free agent starting pitcher Sonny Gray to St Louis.

      The Cardinals finished in fifth place last season in large part because their rotation (and pitching staff in general) imploded. They have pursued starters aggressively early in the offseason, picking up Kyle Gibson before Thanksgiving and now it appears they're going to add Gray to the mix.

      Gray, 34 years old, had what is probably the best season of his career in 2023, finishing second in the Cy Young Award while pitching for the Twins.

      UPDATE: Sonny Gray has agreed to a three year, $75 million deal with St Louis.

       

      Brock Beauchamp

      Daniel Kramer of MLB.com is reporting that the Mariners are unlikely to pursue free agent Shohei Ohtani this winter. The Mariners were considered players for Ohtani as we approached the offseason.

      One fewer team in the mix is good news for the Cubs, who are expected to be aggressive pursuing the two-way player this offseason. Additionally, rumors are circling that Ohtani plans to make a decision early in the offseason, perhaps even before the Winter Meetings in early December.

      The major players in the race for Ohtani are the usual suspects: Dodgers, Yankees, Phillies, and Cubs. Given the sky-high asking price Ohtani will demand, two-thirds of baseball teams were out of the running before it began.

      Stay tuned, we'll cover any and all Ohtani news as it happens.

      Brock Beauchamp

      Now that non-tender day has come and gone, the free agent list is as robust as it will be all winter.

      The Cubs have many, long-reaching choices in front of them. With the departure of Cody Bellinger and Marcus Stroman in free agency, the team is considerably worse now than it was on the final day of the season.

      Unfortunately, the positional player market is the thinnest we've seen in years. But the pitching free agent class it quite deep, if not particularly great at the ace level.

      Matthew Trueblood

      Jesse Rogers dropped an article this morning loaded with a lot of juicy rumors, including a repeated, seemingly thematic return to Shohei Ohtani as the focal point of the Cubs' offseason.

      That's awfully juicy, in itself, but Rogers also mentions that the Cubs are much less likely to retain Cody Bellinger than to sign Ohtani. That sentence, with the embedded implication that they have some measurable, significant chance to sign Ohtani at all, is exciting, but it's also newsworthy for the implication that Bellinger and Scott Boras are more likely to find their payday elsewhere--an idea on which Rogers then expands quite a bit.

      Already, there's more smoke than I might have expected there to be around the Cubs and Ohtani. That doesn't mean we should sound the fire alarms yet. No one is saying they're the favorites for him. It's just becoming clear how much they will try, and that their offseason could very well turn on their pursuit of him.

      Other notes in here, by the way, address Pete Alonso's potential availability (with Christopher Morel as a centerpiece going the other way; that seems improbable to me, but it's compelling) and the notion of a Cubs-Brewers trade involving Corbin Burnes (whoa). It's a fun little digest of rumors for a Thursday morning.

      Photo credit: © Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

      Brock Beauchamp

      Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic are reporting the Cubs might be interested in signing first baseman Rhys Hoskins.

      Hoskins, who will be entering his age 31 season in 2024, missed all of the 2023 season with a torn ACL he suffered in Spring Training. He has a career 125 OPS+ and should he return to form, is one of the more potent bats available in this weak free agents position player class.

      The Cubs have options at first base but if they're truly interested in trading Christopher Morel and do not re-sign Cody Bellinger, first base is wide open. It's unlikely the team will be keen to hand the job to Matt Mervis on Opening Day so it's likely they do some amount of roster shuffling to improve the team at first. Hoskins is probably the best bat and will likely be looking for a short-term contract to reestablish value so the deal makes sense from both sides.

      It should be noted Hoskins is a Boras client.

      Brock Beauchamp

      With the abruptly-ended GM Meetings now over, reporters are putting together their notes and while the Cubs have remained mum on the subject, rival executives expect the North Siders to be in play for Ohtani this winter.

      When Ohtani posted to MLB, he almost exclusively negotiated with west coast teams before landing with the Angels (a decision he surely regrets at this point). While he didn't speak to any New York or east coast teams, he did take the Cubs' calls.

      We really have no idea what is in Ohtani's head, as he's been very quiet on his expectations. He'll also basically write his own contract. If he wants a 13-year deal, he'll get it. If he wants an 8-year deal with an enormous AAV, he'll get it. If he wants opt-outs every two years, he'll get it. Pure dollars are not going to get it done in this specific case and, unlike most free agent deals, teams will be selling themselves to Ohtani. Can the Cubs make a compelling pitch? Several rival General Managers seem to think so:

      Quote

      Nightengale lists them as a serious contender for Ohtani and adds that “several GMs” are saying that the Cubs “may be” the most aggressive team on Ohtani.

       

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