5 teams expected to be active on the MLB trade market

2. Are the Cubs retooling or rebuilding?

Nobody seems to know what the heck the Cubs are doing right now. Former NL MVP Kris Bryant and two-time All-Star catcher Willson Contreras have been tied into rumors all offseason as the Cubs reportedly looking to change the direction of their club after missing the playoffs for the first time in five seasons.

With the Cubs core players for Bryant, Contreras, first baseman Anthony Rizzo, shortstop Javier Baez, and outfielder Kyle Schwarber all set to become free agents in either 2021 or 2022, the front office and ownership are having to take a hard look at their roster to decide if this is the group they want to move forward with. There also seems to be pressure from the Cubs ownership group, lead by Ricketts family chairman Tom Ricketts, to get underneath the luxury tax in 2020.

The Cubs will pay $7.6 million due to the tax this season and that amount will increase each year they continue to exceed the luxury tax threshold. To avoid that happening, the Cubs seem motivated to move one of their stars in hopes it creates more financial flexibility as well as replenish their farm system that has graduated most of its’ elite talent.

Schwarber is the latest name to be included in trade talks as the Yankees have shown an interest in the lefty slugger. That being said, Rosenthal reports that the asking price for Schwarber or any of the Cubs players is incredibly high, which has scared teams away at the moment. But as free agency continues to move briskly, many teams’ options will start to decrease, and the Cubs are hoping they can catch a team desperate to improve and willing to overpay to do it.