The Cubs made a huge splash on the trade market yesterday as they acquired their star outfielder Kyle Tucker This is a blockbuster trade with the Astros. Club gave up big money for All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes2024 first round Cam Smithand right-handed young people Hayden Wesneski However, the loss of Paredes in particular may have changed some of the club’s offseason plans in order to get this deal done.
second baseman Nico Horner He will reportedly figure in trade talks this winter, with the Mariners said to be particularly interested in the infielder. However, the club’s thoughts on Horner may have changed following yesterday’s trade with the Astros, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. Rosenthal notes Cubs are motivated to trade away from their infield mix to free up playing time for top prospects Matt Shawhe hit a whopping .298/.395/.534 in a late-season cup of coffee at the Triple-A level and seemed ready to make the jump to the majors.
Shaw was drafted at shortstop, but is a hitting-first prospect who has played time at second and third base in the minor leagues since being selected with the 13th overall pick in the 2023 draft. While Shaw is generally viewed as a better fit at second rather than third due to arm strength issues, the youngster played 580 1/3 innings at the minor league hot corner last year and appears to be the man to replace Parade. A natural choice for Chicago’s infield mix next year. Rosenthal said that makes it “possible” for the Cubs to keep Hoerner around for next season.
It’s at least possible that another addition could change those plans, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported earlier today that the club is in the market for third base help following yesterday’s trade. It’s unclear whether such an addition would be a part-time player who could provide insurance in case Shaw proves not to be fully ready for the major leagues, or if the Cubs are seeking more of a regular option at the hot corner, but it’s It seems possible at this point that the Cubs may only take a Horner trade seriously if they can acquire a regular third baseman, allowing them to replace Horner with Shaw as the cornerstone.
While Hoerner will likely remain in Chicago, for Cody Bellinger. It’s no secret that the 2019 NL MVP was on the trade block all winter as the Cubs experienced an outfield logjam late in the 2024 season when Bellinger was working with Seiya Suzuki, Ian Harp, Mike Tauchmanas well as top prospects Peter Crow-Armstrong Normal playtime. That impasse has already led the Cubs to select Tauchman, who is not interested, and the introduction of Tucker as the everyday starter in right field will only further emphasize that Bellinger will be playing in a different uniform next year.
The Yankees appear to be the most active suitors for Bellinger this winter, despite previous reports suggesting the two sides remain divided over how much of Bellinger’s contract the Cubs should retain. The New York Post’s Peter Botte provided more details about the situation yesterday, reporting that the two sides were “more than 10 millimeters” apart in negotiations. That’s a huge gap that both sides need to bridge in order to reach a deal, as it accounts for more than a third of Bellinger’s $27.5MM salary for the 2025 season. Freeing up money to improve other aspects of the lineup appears to be one of the Cubs’ main motivations for trading Bellinger. With the club’s luxury tax payroll at just under $215 million following the Tucker trade, according to RosterResource, getting as much of Bellinger’s $26.67 million average annual value off the books would be a big boost for Chicago. financial flexibility as they consider improving the rotation in the following ways. Luis Castillo or marlin lefty Jesus Luzardo.
Speaking of rotations, The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney and Tim Britton recently took a look at the possibility of an extension between the Cubs and the lefty Justin Steele. The pair reported that Steele and the Cubs have not engaged in contract extension talks so far, though they noted that the Cubs often use the start of spring training as an opportunity to explore extensions with players, as they did with Hoe during the season. Just like Na and Hap did.
The 29-year-old southpaw is certainly an interesting extension candidate. Steele remained under team control for three more seasons and didn’t show high-end speed or a high strikeout rate. That being said, his production in the three seasons since he joined the rotation full-time has been undeniably outstanding. In 78 starts over the past three years, Steel has a 3.10 ERA (134 ERA+) and a nearly matching 3.14 FIP in 427 innings. After struggling a bit with control in 2022, he’s hit a 48.5% ground ball rate over the past two seasons and walked just 5.7%. Gerrit Cole The ERA is lower than Steele’s 3.07, while his FIP of 3.11 ranks third. sonny gray and Logan Webber.
