Cubs rumors: Potential Juan Soto fallout, Crochet sweepstakes, Mariners still in play?

The winter meetings are just days away, and with that, all eyes are rightfully on Juan Soto to ink his potentially record-breaking contract this winter. For the Chicago Cubs, the fallout of the Soto deal is where they come in, as teams may look for upgrades to their roster. Let's get into the latest from the Cubs side as we wait for Soto to hopefully sign this weekend and how his signing pertains to the north side of Chicago, among other Cubs rumors

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1. Jed Hoyer's fingers crossed Soto doesn't land with the Yankees

In a perfect world, Soto doesn't land with the New York Yankees this winter, forcing them to seek upgrades elsewhere. As it sits, Jon Heyman reports at least four teams are believed to have made offers to Juan in the neighborhood of $700 million, with two of those teams being the Yankees' AL East counterparts. The Yankees missing out on Soto is perfect for Jed Hoyer, especially if he ends up elsewhere in the same division because Hoyer knows the Yankees have been eyeing his trade chip Cody Bellinger for a long time.

That's not to say that Bellinger is unmovable if the Yankees get Soto, as other teams have shown interest. Still, it certainly doesn't hurt to have teams help up the ante and make you financially responsible for as little as possible of Bellinger's contract.

Hoyer's hands in moving Bellinger are tied until Soto signs, unless he gets an offer he can't refuse, which isn't likely. It's the reason the team missed out on targets like Danny Jansen, who signed a one-year deal with the Rays because the Cubs don't know how much money they have to play with yet and can't lock up deals for sure without knowing what's going to be available at this stage. Once Soto signs, they will have a clearer idea of where and how to trade Bellinger, making their offseason picture all the more transparent.

2. Garrett Crochet price may be too much for Hoyer to stomach

Regarding Garrett Crochet, the Cubs are, without question, looking to add an impact arm toward the top of their rotation. There have been rumors about the White Sox and the Seattle Mariners being potential trade partners for the Cubs. Still, it's hard to imagine the Cubs paying the premium for Crochet, who had an elite season in 2024 but is still relatively unproven at best long-term as a starter.

Recently, buzz was circulating that the Cubs, Mariners, and White Sox were discussing a three-team trade. In essence, Seattle would help the Cubs not pay as much prospect currency to the White Sox, assumedly for Crochet, while moving somebody like Nico Hoerner to Seattle in exchange for helping. It does, however, appear that these talks have since been extinguished for now.

I agree with Michael Cerami that the Cubs are, first and foremost, very high on prospect Matt Shaw, and trading him is likely a non-starter. I could see the Cubs moving James Triantos and/or Owen Caissie in a deal, given the depth in the farm at both of their positions, but if the White Sox are asking for three of your top prospects, don't expect Hoyer, without help from anyone else, to wait around to see who blinks first if it means missing out on a potential deal elsewhere.

3. Mariners should still be the team to strike a deal with

Pulling off a deal for Logan Gilbert or George Kirby is even more expensive, given the team-friendly control left for both, as opposed to only two years of Crochet, but this connection with the Cubs and Luis Castillo makes a ton of sense. If there's a starter that doesn't quite cost as much in prospect currency, it's Castillo and his $24.1 million annual contract.

Still, Castillo's production and three years remaining, including a vesting option for 2028, will not come cheap. Seattle, however, has a plethora of young starting pitching talent. Castillo is the oldest member (31) of their rotation, allowing all of their youngsters to slide in while filling holes in their roster elsewhere if he is moved.

It's a win-win for the Cubs and Mariners to come together on a trade because Seattle gets better positional talent after having a bottom-five offense in 2024 while still keeping an elite rotation intact due to its depth. The Cubs, of course, strengthen their rotation and should have no problem moving on from guys like Nico Hoerner or prospect James Triantos if they believe Matt Shaw is their future second baseman. I will be following This trade rumor rigorously at the winter meetings.