MLB rumors: Cubs massive moves teased, Cease trade dead? Yankees Hader backup plans
- Big Cubs moves are believed on the horizon
- Dylan Cease trade talks could be dead, at least until midseason
- Yankees targets if they miss on Josh Hader
MLB Rumors: Massive Cubs moves on the horizon
The Chicago Cubs made the first splash of the offseason by stealing Craig Counsell away from their division rivals, the Brewers, and giving him the largest contract for a manager in MLB history. They then followed that up with months of absolutely no activity. Not great for a team that was just one game back of a playoff spot last season.
The Cubs have recently finally started to make moves, signing Shota Imanaga to fortify their rotation and trading for Michael Busch, adding a promising infielder to the fold. While those were two savvy moves, the Cubs roster, at least on paper, looks worse than last season with Marcus Stroman heading to the Yankees and Cody Bellinger sitting in free agency. The Cubs still need to make big moves for them to compete in the division with improved teams like the Cardinals and Reds and the consistent winners up in Milwaukee.
Fortunately for Cubs fans, ESPN's Buster Olney believes those big moves are coming, with an evaluator telling him that "They are the team to watch".
As we discussed on the podcast, a high-ranking evaluator believes the Cubs will make the most impactful moves the rest of the off-season. “They are the team to watch,” he said.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) January 18, 2024
The obvious move for Chicago to make is to re-sign Cody Bellinger, a player who re-discovered his all-star form and finished in the top ten in NL MVP voting. The Cubs could also look to make another infield addition in the form of Matt Chapman, or even continue to bolster their rotation with aces Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery. There are still plenty of big moves the Cubs can make as they try and get back to the postseason for the first time in a full season (excluding 2020) since 2018.
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