Are the Cubs saving up for a big midseason trade acquisition? |
Anthony Pasquale
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- 3 hours ago
Now that the Cubs’ busy offseason seems to be ending, it seems like an appropriate time to evaluate the moves Jed Hoyer and co. made this Winter.
The initial flurry of moves included the biggest of the offseason, a blockbuster trade that sent superstar Kyle Tucker from Houston to Chicago in exchange for Isaac Paredes, prospect Cam Smith and pitcher Hayden Wesneski. The Cubs also made some other acquisitions, acquiring Carson Kelly to shore up the catching room, which struggled mightily in 2024, and Justin Turner to provide some veteran leadership and a right-handed bat. Not to mention, after blowing north of 25 games last season, the Cubs were motivated to improve their bullpen in 2025. From fringe starters like Matthew Boyd and Colin Rea or proven back-end talent like Eli Morgan, Ryan Brasier, and Ryan Pressly among others, the Cubs enter 2025 with a much-improved bullpen. Most of the moves this offseason included additions for the Cubs, but not many moves focused on subtraction. However, one of the most significant moves the Cubs made this offseason was a trade of Cody Bellinger to the New York Yankees. A year ago, Cody Bellinger was the “must-add” piece of the offseason so that the Cubs had a chance to make the playoffs. After just one season of his deal, the Cubs appeared to be hoping he opted out of his 3-year, 80 million dollar contract after just one season. Once he decided to opt in, the Cubs shifted their focus to moving the former NL MVP. After the Cubs landed Kyle Tucker, Bellinger appeared most likely to go. Michael Busch had found a home at first base — despite having some experience at 2B and 3B in his career; he looked like a gold glove first baseman for the back half of 2024. He is only 27 years old and will not be a free agent until 2030. The Cubs were in no hurry to move off Busch or force him into a new position after committing so much time to him playing first. The outfield seemed decided with Ian Happ in left, Pete Crow-Armstrong in center and the newly acquired Tucker in right — leaving Seiya Suzuki and Bellinger on the outside looking in. Since Suzuki had a no-trade clause, and slots in more like a DH based on defensive skill anyway, Bellinger quickly became the focus to trade. But for a player one year removed from an NL Comeback Player of the Year award, all the Cubs could muster back in return was a career 3.80 ERA reliever (Cody Poteet) and got the Yankees to pay some of his salary. For many, it felt disappointing, but the goal of clearing Bellinger’s money appeared to be pointing at a bigger objective of adding to the roster. With all of the additions made, the Cubs have traded some of their fringe 40-man roster players for cash considerations: Miles Mastrobuoni, Luis Vazquez and Alexander Canario. Despite a significant offseason that saw the Cubs make some important additions, they made four trades solely to save money and failed to acquire Alex Bregman, Roki Sasaki, and Tanner Scott. While the Cubs don’t want to exceed the luxury tax and avoid the associated penalties, they are still $36.5 million short of the luxury tax. Many feel the Cubs are done this offseason despite having nearly $40 more million to spend. The Cubs are the favorites to win the NL Central, but some experts believe they are one player short. Was Cody Bellinger that player? Even if the Cubs went Happ-PCA-Tucker left to right and Suzuki at DH, Bellinger could play first, Busch could play 3rd or 2nd (especially with Matt Shaw and Nico Hoerner’s injuries) or you could trade Hoerner for a starting pitcher like was rumored the entire offseason. Busch could still play first a lot and Bellinger could play the outfield a lot. The Cubs would also be better positioned to handle any injury, and the bottom line is that their lineup would be better. Having more good players is never a bad thing. However, the Cubs may have pulled the trigger too quickly on the Bellinger salary dump — as the money they cleared up to spend by trading him still has yet to be spent as we near the end of February. Are the Cubs saving up for a big midseason trade acquisition? Do the Cubs have one more offseason move up their sleeve? Did the Cubs spoil their chance to spend but not offering top dollar for Alex Bregman or other free agents? Or should the Cubs have kept Cody Bellinger?
