Cubs Rumors: Cody Bellinger latest, new trade target, tough Yamomoto butterfly effect
- Yamamoto signing in LA could hurt the Cubs moving forward
- A new trade target connected to Chicago
- What's the latest with Cody Bellinger's free agency market?
Cubs Rumors: Yamamoto signing in LA could freeze out Cubs with other free agent targets
Throughout the sweepstakes for Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Chicago Cubs appeared to be loosely connected as a fit for the 25-year-old, but rarely if ever were considered the favorites to sign him. Ultimately, that proved correct as Yamamoto landed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
While that might not be a huge loss for the Cubs based on where they were considered in the pecking order for Yamamoto, though, the right-hander signing in LA might be worst-case scenario for Chicago moving forward as they do look to make big moves this offseason.
One of the perceived favorites for Yamamoto was, in fact, the New York Yankees, who obviously missed out as well. However, the Yankees' willingness to spend big that we've seen this offseason and a desperate need for pitching is awful news for the Cubs and their attempts to try and upgrade their rotation with the near-certain loss of Marcus Stroman looming large.
Why? As Brett Taylor of Bleacher Nation noted, the now-desperate Yankees could go even harder after the likes of Shota Imanaga and Jordan Montgomery, effectively pricing out the Cubs:
"I would say the Cubs’ chances at landing Shota Imanaga or Jordan Montgomery just took a hit, because the Yankees are now going to go way over the top to make sure they get one (or both?) of those guys. They can’t waste the pricey year of Juan Soto they bought in trade, so I fully expect them to go nuts on pitching to make up for the loss of Yamamoto."
If Chicago loses Stroman as expected after his decision to opt out of the final year of his contract in 2024 but also come up empty on the likes of Yamamoto, Aaron Nola, Imanaga and Montgomery, that could set Chicago back quite a bit after seemingly making huge strides this past season, even if they fell short of the postseason.
Nothing is written in stone yet, but this undeniably seems like cause for concern in the Windy City.