MLB Rumors: Brewers top free-agent target, Mike Trout trade truth, Cubs focus

We've officially reached the final week of the MLB season. A couple of teams have clinched division titles, and a few others have clinched postseason spots, but for the most part, races are wide open, leading to some exciting finishes.

While the postseason is understandably on everyone's minds, the rumor mill never sleeps. There's always chatter from around the league regarding not only the teams who are going to be playing in October, but also the clubs who are about to turn their focus to the offseason.

With that in mind, here are the latest MLB rumors for your enjoyment on this fine Tuesday afternoon.

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Cubs offseason priority revealed

The 2024 season was a disastrous one for the Chicago Cubs, who, with the addition of Craig Counsell, expected to be where his old team, the Milwaukee Brewers, are. Unfortunately, a hot start proved to be unsustainable on the North Side, and the Cubs will miss the postseason for a fourth straight year. They haven't made the postseason in a full 162-game campaign since 2018.

With this failure of a season in mind, this upcoming offseason is a huge one for Chicago. Jed Hoyer (if he isn't fired) must be sure to make the right moves to ensure that the Cubs will, at the very least, be competing for a postseason spot on this date in 2025 if not securely in one. One of his main priorities, according to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic ($), is to add starting pitching.

"The Cubs are planning to add an established starting pitcher to a group that includes Imanaga, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon and Javier Assad. There’s ample room for a free agent who would be expected to make 30 starts and could be trusted in a playoff game. It’s a clear way to improve one of the team’s strengths while also creating options for the bullpen and more depth at Triple-A Iowa. Names like Ben Brown, Jordan Wicks, Hayden Wesneski and Cade Horton should factor into next year’s plans, but more as reserves or in supporting roles," Mooney wrote.

Adding an established starting pitcher to this rotation is interesting because the rotation was their biggest strength in 2024 by far. Despite injury woes that Mooney outlines, the Cubs starting pitchers rank eighth in the majors with a 3.59 ERA. That's good for third in the National League. Their rotation, when healthy, is among the league's best, yet they're planning on adding what sounds like a really good pitcher to this staff.

With the right moves, the Cubs can go from a really good rotation to arguably the best rotation in the league. It'll be interesting to see who they target, and if adding starting pitching impacts their ability to add bats and bullpen arms, which, on paper, feel like bigger holes on the roster.

Truth behind why a Mike Trout trade is so hard to pull off

It feels like ever since Mike Trout signed his massive 12-year extension to remain with the Los Angeles Angels for essentially the rest of his career, MLB fans have been wanting him to get traded. The rationale behind that makes sense, as fans would like to see arguably the greatest player of this generation get back to the postseason. He's played in just three postseason games, went winless in those games, and they took place a decade ago. With where the Angels are right now, it'll be a while before he gets back to October, if he ever does.

Wanting Trout on a winning team makes a lot of sense, but a trade never has and likely never will make sense for so many reasons outlined nicely by Sam Blum and Andy McCullough of The Athletic ($).

"Reality suggests Trout is unlikely to leave. Given the age, injury history and financial commitment, one executive said the Angels would have to eat more than half the money just to bring a potential partner to the table. Asked how difficult it would be to move Trout, another rival executive said, 'Incredibly.'"

Trout is still an elite player when he's on the field, but the simple fact is he has not been on the field much in a full season since 2019. He's played in just 266 of a possible 648 games since 2021, appearing in just 41 percent of possible games. Injuries have ravaged the latter half of his career.

Trout is making over $37 million through the 2030 season. He'll be among the highest-paid players in the game for each of the next six years. He's worth it when he's able to play, sure, but again, he cannot be trusted to play.

He's 33 years old, with a major injury history, and is making a lot of money. This kind of player is only really tradable if the Angels were to eat a substantial amount of money as Blum and McCullough state, which is tough to see Arte Moreno doing.

To make things even more complicated, Trout has a no-trade clause and has given no indication that he's going to want to leave. That might change, but even if it does, the Angels have to find a willing suitor AND be happy with the deal. Chances are, they won't want to trade away the best player in the history of their franchise for nothing while also shedding half or more of his salary. The Angels are better off just hoping he can play well and stay healthy in their uniform.

It's a tough spot for everyone involved. Trout being dealt would be awesome to see as he'd finally get a chance to compete for that elusive World Series title, but it's just so unlikely that we'll ever see that happen.

Top Brewers free-agent target revealed

The Milwaukee Brewers are mostly focused on the postseason after clinching their division title, but again, the rumor mill never sleeps. Even they are thinking at least a little bit about the upcoming offseason.

The Brewers have several important upcoming free agents, including star shortstop Willy Adames to worry about, but one name to really focus on, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today is Rhys Hoskins. If Hoskins chooses to opt out of his $18 million player option for the 2025 campaign, the Brewers could express interest in a high-end first baseman like Christian Walker according to Nightengale.

"While Pete Alonso of the Mets will be the highest-paid first baseman on the free agent market, club executives insist that Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker will draw much more interest at perhaps half the price. The Milwaukee Brewers are one of several teams that have interest if first baseman Rhys Hoskins opts out of his contract."

Hoskins has had a decent season in Milwaukee, slashing .213/.299/.415 with 25 home runs and 77 RBI in 125 games. He hasn't gotten on base nearly as much as he did in his long tenure with the Philadelphia Phillies, but his power is still very much there. As solid of a player as Hoskins has been throughout his entire career, he is not Christian Walker.

Walker has never made an All-Star team (somehow) but is an All-Star-caliber player. In addition to his 30-home run power, Walker is among the best defensive first basemen in the majors. Sure, he might be 33 years old, but that's only two years older than Hoskins, and Walker is the more durable player considering the fact that Hoskins is only one year removed from an ACL tear.

Whether the Brewers can afford him is a question worth wondering, but Hoskins was going to be owed $18 million, and that money will be off the books if he opts out. Walker will get more than that, but likely not much more in terms of AAV considering his age and the position he plays. This Brewers team with an elite first baseman like Walker would be even scarier in 2025.