3 moves the Chicago Cubs should make after Kyle Tucker blockbuster

With the Chicago Cubs landing Kyle Tucker via trade, the front office must keep its foot on the gas regarding roster additions. They have money to play with, and their offseason is likely nowhere near done.

These are three moves the Cubs need to make to lock down the top spot in the NL Central for 2025, starting with unloading a key contract in Cody Bellinger.

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3. Force the Yankees' hand in Bellinger sweepstakes

It seems like a foregone conclusion that Cody Bellinger will be a New York Yankee after Kyle Tucker passes his physical, and there's no reason to believe the trade will fall through. It's recently been reported by Michael Cerami of Bleacher Nation that the two clubs are far apart on Bellinger's financials recently reported. However, the Cubs still have the upper hand in negotiations.

The Yankees need Bellinger more than the Cubs need to trade him, specifically to New York, considering the other teams that have shown interest. Eventually, the Yankees front office won't be able to play hardball if a deal seems likely to fall through, and the Cubs should be able to free up a solid chunk of Bellinger's contract, which will be essential to the rest of their offseason plans.

2. Land a starter via trade or free agency

Moving most of Bellinger's contract is key because it determines how comfortable Jed Hoyer can operate the rest of the winter. According to Roster Resource, the Cubs are hovering around $215 million after trading for Tucker and signing Carson Kelly with around $8 million that they will keep for trade deadline acquisitions. That gives them about $18 million to spend before dipping into the first tier of the luxury tax penalty. 

If the Cubs are fortunate enough to unload at least $20 million of Bellinger's $27.5M, they suddenly balloon back up to $38 million available, which is more than enough for a starter and a closer. 

Look for the Cubs to exhaust the trade market before shopping in free agency. Ken Rosenthal dropped a tidbit at The Athletic (subscription required) stating he believes the Cubs sending Nico Hoerner to Seattle is now a long shot after trading Isaac Parades, which created too many positional holes. This makes sense since the Cubs are now connected to Jesus Luzardo, per Bruce Levine, which would only cost prospects. Ideally, they land a cost-effective starter, as they will want as much money as possible to re-sign Tucker next winter.

1. Sign Kirby Yates

The second part of moving Bellinger's contract will be landing a closer that can slam the door in the ninth. Last season, the Cubs blew 26 saves, the 6th worst in the league. If the team were closer to at least the top 10 with only 20, their record would have been 89-73, which would be suitable for Wild Card territory in 2024. 

Yates had an elite season this year, posting a 1.17 ERA with 33 saves, his best campaign in the last five years. Was it a fluke bounce back, or is there reason to believe there could be sustained success?

In 2024, Yates continued to use a heavy dose of fastball and splitter, a combination that has been hit or miss in the past. He's always seen success with the splitter, but his fastball was one of the best pitches in the league in 2024.

Opponents hit just .113 against it, down from .164 in 2023 and .308 in 2022. Although Kirby's walk rate was higher than you like, it dropped from 14.6 percent in 2023 to 11.8 percent in 2024, and his barrel percentage dropped from 11.8 percent to 4.1 percent from the year prior.

That means Kirby had much better command of his heater, which, coupled with an above-average splitter, is a lethal combination. His fastball recorded a 35 percent K rate and a Run Value of 18. Kirby's 2024 was other-worldly, so it's no surprise the Cubs have already been linked. In the worst-case scenario, they have money to add another closer by the deadline if he doesn't pan out next season.