MLB Rumors: Cubs-Jesus Luzardo talks dead, Andrew McCutchen's future, Shohei Ohtani copycat

The MLB offseason has hit a bit of a lull, and that isn't too shocking. The Winter Meetings are over and the best available players like Juan Soto, Max Fried, Garrett Crochet, and Kyle Tucker are officially off the board. Teams that missed out on those high-end targets are still trying to figure out alternatives.

With that being said, though, there's still a lot of offseason left. While there might not be any Soto rumors to keep an eye on, there are still several intriguing players both in free agency and on the trade block worth discussing.

The latest MLB rumors cover just that. Here are the latest rumors for your consumption on this fine Tuesday morning.

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MLB Rumors: Shohei Ohtani might not be the only two-way player in 2025

Shohei Ohtani is one of the game's best hitters and one of the game's best pitchers. What makes him so special is that he can do both hit and pitch at an elite level simultaneously.

Los Angeles Dodgers fans didn't get to see him pitch in his first season with the team, but what Ohtani did with the bat and on the basepaths more than made up for it. As if Ohtani wasn't electrifying enough this past season, he's expected to pitch in 2025.

According to the latest report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required), Ohtani might not be the only two-way player in 2025. Michael Lorenzen and his agent, Ryan Hamill of CAA, are reportedly trying to sell the right-hander who hasn't hit in a MLB game since 2021, as a two-way player.

"Hamill, according to sources briefed on his conversations, is talking with such clubs about signing Lorenzen, getting him the necessary plate appearances to qualify for two-way status and then flipping him to a contender that would benefit from carrying him as a 14th pitcher," Rosenthal wrote.

What makes this especially intriguing is that if Lorenzen records at least 20 innings on the mound and appears in at least 20 games as a position player (with at least three plate appearances per game), Lorenzen then would qualify as a two-way player instead of a pitcher. Instead of a team carrying 13 pitchers, they'd be able to carry 14 with Lorenzen included. That's what the Dodgers will be doing with Ohtani this upcoming season.

With eating innings becoming increasingly tougher, having the option to carry an extra arm is especially intriguing. Plus, Lorenzen has shown ability on both sides of the ball before.

As a starter, Lorenzen made 26 appearances (24 starts) this past season with the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals, posting a 3.31 ERA in 130.1 innings of work overall. He's been a serviceable starter in each of the last three seasons, and was even named an All-Star in 2023. Lorenzen has also excelled as a reliever in the past.

He doesn't have nearly as large of a sample size as a hitter, but Lorenzen does have seven home runs and a career .710 OPS in 321 plate appearances. For reference, the league average OPS this past season was .711. He hasn't hit in an MLB game in years, but if teams think he can be a league-average bat while also contributing on the mound, he can be a valuable asset.

Lorenzen won't be Ohtani or close to him, but having another two-way player in the game would be incredibly fun.

MLB Rumors: Truth to Andrew McCutchen report

It was reported on Wednesday that Andrew McCutchen inked a one-year deal worth $5 million to return to the Pittsburgh Pirates for the 2025 season. Once that came out, there was reason to believe it was true. McCutchen would presumably want to return to Pittsburgh, and he played well enough last season for the Pirates to want him back.

As realistic as it might've seemed, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com was quick to refute that report.

Stumpf notes that both McCutchen and the Pirates want the 38-year-old to return to Pittsburgh and that a deal is possible if not likely, but as of now, there is no agreement.

The fact that a deal is presumably going to come at some point is good news for the Pirates. McCutchen might not be close to the MVP-caliber bat he once was, but he did hit 20 home runs and posted a 110 OPS+ this past season. As a relatively cheap DH option, the Pirates likely can't do much better.

It'd be ideal for the Pirates to add another big bat or two alongside McCutchen, but getting McCutchen back would be nice regardless.

MLB Rumors: Jesus Luzardo trade talks hit a snag

The Chicago Cubs made what could be the most impactful trade of the offseason by acquiring Kyle Tucker, but their work appeared to be far from over. After addressing the lineup, the Cubs would benefit by adding another arm to what could be one of the best rotations in the National League. With that in mind, the team being linked to Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo came as little surprise.

Luzardo not only has All-Star upside, but he's projected to make just $8.6 million in arbitration according to Spotrac while being under club control through 2026. He'd cost an exorbitant amount of prospect capital to acquire, but the Cubs have one of the best farm systems in the game even after trading for Tucker. With the team trying to compete, why not make another big splash?

It was reported just days ago that the Cubs were "working" to get a Luzardo deal done. That made it feel as if it was more of a matter of when, not if, Jed Hoyer was going to acquire him. Well, things don't appear to be so positive now.

It was reported by Bruce Levine of 670 The Score that talks appear to be "dead" right now.

“That deal appears to be dead right now,” Bruce Levine told 670 The Score Wednesday evening. “We don’t know what the reason is, it was very hot for a long period of time. Maybe the medicals on one side or the other [weren’t] good. So they’ll be shifting, they still need another starting pitcher in my mind. They have plenty of starting pitching, there’s just a redundancy of guys that throw 92 miles per hour.”

Levine notes that the deal appeared to be close for a long period of time, but hit a snag to the point where it looks dead. What caused the snag is unknown, but it doesn't sound as if this is going to happen anytime soon, if at all.

If the Cubs don't trade for Luzardo, there are other options for them to consider both in free agency and on the trade block. If the team is all in on 2025, they should look to add at least one more rotation arm.