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  • Chicago Cubs Trade & Free Agent Rumors

    Follow the latest Chicago Cubs trade and free agent rumors, along with quick notes on the big league club, the minor leagues and the draft.
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    Brock Beauchamp
    It's becoming rapidly apparent that the Cubs have two of the hottest commodities on the trade deadline market in Marcus Stroman and Cody Bellinger, especially with the Angels gaining new life and sweeping the Yankees, returning to the fringes of the American League Wild Card race.
    During an episode of the Onto Waveland Podcast (29 minute mark), it is mentioned that while the Rays do not appear to be interested in Cody Bellinger, they are interested in acquiring Stroman.
    The Rays are floundering a bit lately, losing their season-long hold on first place in the American League East. They need starting pitching and have a farm system that is miles-deep in typical Rays fashion.
    Brock Beauchamp
    USA Today's Bob Nightengale mentioned that the Astros have checked in with the Cubs about Marcus Stroman and Cody Bellinger.
    Starting pitching always has high demand at the trade deadline but it appears there are several teams that should be interested in acquiring a right-handed center fielder who can hit; along with the Astros, the Yankees and Twins are two contenders with gaping holes at center.
    Bellinger is also making a hell of a case for maximum return as a rental: over the past 14 days, he has posted a 1.357 OPS with five home runs and is on pace for a 5+ win season over 550 plate appearances.
    Brock Beauchamp
    To be clear, I don't have anything about Nolan Arenado, he seems like a perfectly reasonable chap who was kinda done dirty by the Colorado Rockies (though being forcibly booted out of that organization is something of a blessing). Jon Heyman asked him a few questions the other day and Arenado says he isn't expecting a trade but wouldn't be surprised by one, either.
    Things are bleak in St Louis. The Cardinals aren't used to losing like this and it appears no one really knows how to handle their current struggles. Things were obviously very wrong when Marmol heaved Willson Contreras under the bus and while the Cards have put together a couple of small winning streaks, they've gone right back to losing again afterward.
    Truth be told, I hadn't even considered an Arenado trade. While he's aging toward his mid-30s, he's still very productive with the bat and his contract is quite reasonable through 2027, given that the Rockies are on the hook for $5 million per year for the next three years.
    It's quite obvious the Cardinals will be selling but to what extent?
    Brock Beauchamp
    Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors compiled an early July top 50 trade candidates list and the Cubs have two players in the top 11 and five players in the top 50 overall.*
    *obviously, this assumes the Cubs will in fact be selling at the deadline
    Marcus Stroman and Cody Bellinger lead the Cubs' portion of the list but Michael Fulmer, Yan Gomes, and Kyle Hendricks also make the list.
    The Cubs have compelling pieces that other teams will want to acquire, how aggressively should they sell if it comes to that point?
    Rex Buckingham
    Mike Trout fractured his hamate bone, which means he will be on the injured list through at least the trade deadline and possibly considerably longer than that.
    CBS Sports mentioned that Cody Bellinger is a possible replacement for an injured Trout.
    The Cubs have a difficult decision to make in Bellinger. If they're interested in offering him the qualifying offer, they can retain Bellinger in 2024 for roughly $20m or, if he declines the offer, Chicago can receive a supplemental draft pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.
    It should be noted that the Angels have a notoriously weak farm system, ranked 28th by MLB.com going into the 2023 season.
    Brock Beauchamp
    Writing for The Athletic, Jon Heyman has reported that the Cubs are not pursuing an extension of Marcus Stroman before the trade deadline. Hoyer seems to employ a "wait and see" approach and has stated that the Cubs aren't interested in negotiating with a player during the season.
    Stroman is a wild card and maybe that's leading to there being more rumors swirling around this than usual for a player in Stroman's situation, holding an opt-out clause in his contract after the completion of the 2023 season. Stroman is known for taking matters into his own hands, openly speaking about his contract situation and seemingly wanting to extend with the Cubs, though surely more on his terms than the team's. Ever the self-promoter, this may end up working in the right-hander's favor as contract time comes, as he has shown an ability to keep himself center stage and rally fans behind him, particularly given his stellar performance in 2023.
    Brock Beauchamp
    Speaking to fans and journalists before the start of the London series versus the Cardinals, Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts says the Cubs are buyers right now. He later walked that back a bit, saying it's possible that changes with a team collapse. Given the relative weakness of the National League Central and the Cubs playing red-hot baseball over the past couple of weeks, it seems rather unlikely they fall out of contention for the division title over the next several weeks.
    The article points out that the infield corners and bullpen are the most obvious holes to patch at the deadline. Who should the Cubs target at the deadline?
    Brock Beauchamp
    It sure is easy to hate East Coast media. I guess it's technically true that Bellinger would be a good fit on the Yankees but the Cubs are rolling right now! I know he writes for the NY Post and panders to his audience but given that the Cubs play in the second-worst division in baseball, are 3.5 games behind the Reds (of all teams), and are currently 8-2 over their last ten makes a mention of Bellinger feel more like wishcasting than useful information.
     
     
    Brock Beauchamp
    According to Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun Times, Marcus Stroman discussed an extension with the Cubs during Spring Training.
    Stroman, 32, has the ability to opt out of his three-year, $71 million deal after the season. Given how Stroman has pitched so far this season, the opt out seems likely should the pitcher remain healthy during the season.
    What kind of deal would you expect Stroman to receive in an extension? And what is a good comp for the diminutive hurler?
    By the way, this is the first piece from our new free agent and trade rumors section. You can find a link to this page in the Cubs Resources widget on the forum index page.
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