Cubs rumors: Ohtani pitch becoming clear, Bo Bichette trade, reliever fix
- Cubs might break with tradition and sign multi-year reliever
- Bo Bichette-Cubs rumors hit boiling point
- Cubs' plan to lure Shohei Ohtani is obvious
Cubs Rumors: Bo Bichette-Chicago trade buzz gets louder
The Cubs are going to be in the fray more than usual this offseason. Chicago hasn't always been the most willing spender, but with Counsell in charge and Shohei Ohtani on their mind, the Cubs might just break the bank (and their farm system) to bring in major talent.
One name circling the trade rumor mill at the moment is Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Bo Bichette, who made his second All-Star appearance in 2023 and finished 16th in American League MVP voting. He slashed .306/.339/.475 for the Jays, hammering 20 home runs and 73 RBIs with 27 walks in 601 plate appearances. He appeared in 135 games.
"Nobody has told me, ‘Hey, Bo Bichette is available,’ but like a lot of things in this industry, if you are getting closer to free agency and there’s no word of there being a [contract extension in place, people start to ask, people start to wonder," said MLB insider Jon Morosi.
FanSided's Robert Murray called a Bichette trade "unlikely," but acknowledged the possibility of the Blue Jays being "blown away" by an offer. The Cubs are a natural fit. Third base is a position of relative weakness for the Cubs, who fluctuated between Nick Madrigal, Patrick Wisdom, Miles Mastrobuoni, and Christopher Morel at the hot corner last season. Morel has been a lightning rod for trade rumors of his own, so the Cubs could look to parlay the power-hitting utility man into a trade for a star of Bichette's caliber.
Matt Cozzi of 'Locked on Cubs' explicitly tied the Bichette chatter to Chicago. While this probably lands in the "pipe dream" category of the Cubs' offseason plans, it's clear Hoyer and the front office are prepared for the aggressive approach.
I’m hearing the Cubs have talked to the Blue Jays about Bo Bichette, who would play 3B for the Cubs.
— Matt Cozzi (@matt_cozzi) November 21, 2023
This was first hinted at by @KFidds yesterday and @jonmorosi mentioned the Cubs interest in Bichette last year.
Bichette is signed through 2025 and would cost big return.
If Chicago can attract Bichette, that could factor into their pursuit of another All-Star...