ORLANDO — The Cubs’ regular position-player group may be mostly intact, with young players expected to help cover for the loss of right fielder Kyle Tucker, but there’s always the off chance that a trade could shake things up.
The Cubs, with plenty of pitching needs, have been highly engaged in the trade market. The most obvious fits involve a starting pitching return for young talent. But general manager Carter Hawkins described a sweeping survey of the market.
“We’re reaching out to probably all 29 teams,” Hawkins said Tuesday. “A lot of it’s just talking about needs and just trying to figure out where the matches may be. Obviously, we have a lot of young players that other teams like. We have a lot of guys that are currently on our team that other teams like. And you end up exploring a ton of different concepts so that almost every player gets talked about at some point with every team.”
The Cubs also have lined up many of their multi-year contracts to end after this season, making this a walk year for right-hander Jameson Taillon, right fielder Seiya Suzuki, left fielder Ian Happ and second baseman Nico Hoerner.
In a similar position, left-hander Matthew Boyd and catcher Carson Kelly have 2027 mutual options. And left-hander Shota Imanaga is set to become a free agent next winter after accepting the one-year qualifying offer.
Within that landscape, Hoerner is a player other teams have inquired about, according to league sources. The Cubs have been open to exploratory talks, but at this point, they don’t appear to be actively shopping their core position players. Notably, Happ and Suzuki have no-trade clauses.
Of course, there will be ripple effects from other moves throughout the offseason. For example, if the Cubs were to sign an established third baseman to a multi-year deal — they’ve expressed interest in three-time All-Star Alex Bregman, sources confirmed — they’d have the option to revisit conversations on Hoerner, with plans to move third baseman Matt Shaw to second base.
President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer also said going into the offseason that he planned to engage in extension conversations with “a number” of players — declining to provide more specifics.
He added on Wednesday that, though he sees the Cubs’ “available dollars” after the 2026 season as a positive, extensions could be one way “smooth out” the drop-off, along with young players and established free agents.
“You’re constantly trying to blend young players with veterans, with free agents,” Hoyer said Monday. “That’s something we talk about all the time, is that group that we have that’s up after ‘26, and how do we manage that, how do we figure out ‘27 and beyond?”
Starting pitching
If the Cubs are going to make a splash this offseason, it’s likely going to be with the acquisition of a starting pitcher, via free agency or trade. But the starting pitching market has quieted since right-hander Dylan Cease signed a seven-year, $210 million contract with the Blue Jays last week.
The Cubs left the winter meetings on Wednesday without having added to their major-league roster during the three-day event.
Rule 5 Draft
The Cubs passed in the major-league phase of the Rule 5 Draft. They then selected three players in the Triple-A phase: right-handed pitcher Adam Stone from the Yankees, right-handed pitcher Zane Mills from the Cardinals, and third baseman/utility player Devin Ortiz from the Padres.
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