The Chicago Cubs have long been mentioned in trade rumors of nearly every kind over the past year. They're clearly in need of starting pitching and have surpluses in other areas of their roster to help improve that lacking unit.
With that being said, team president Theo Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer are prepared for this week's general managers meetings in Boca Raton, FL. The latest rumors suggest the Cubs could be poised to make deals, or at least lay down the framework for such significant discussions, within the next few days.
Shortly after the Cubs were swept by the New York Mets in the NLCS, Epstein reiterated that the team was in need of "quality pitching." About two weeks after that Hoyer hinted that the team could be involved in serious trade discussions in the very near future.
The Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays already made a six-player deal just four days after the World Series concluded, which could set the tone for the trade market this offseason.
"As we already saw with the deal between the Mariners and the Rays, I think it could be a fast-moving trade market and I think there could be, if not action in Boca, definitely action soon after that, just because a lot of ground will be laid for deals," Hoyer told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
"There's probably going to be a little more urgency for teams. Given the fact there's already been a trade, I think people realize that things could happen quickly. I think people are going to be ready to move quickly."
In fact, Hoyer said the Cubs have already had "exploratory" talks with the other 29 MLB clubs.
One would have to think they're inquiring about starting pitchers. Hoyer noted over the weekend that the team plans to pursue "multiple starting pitchers at various levels of the organization," via Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com, which means they'll be scouring both the free agent and trade markets throughout the offseason.
Prior to this year's trade deadline they were rumored to have been exploring deals for Cole Hamels (PHI), Tyson Ross (SDP), Carlos Carrasco (CLE), Yovani Gallardo (TEX) and others.
The Cubs have been said to be the "heavy favorites" to land free agent David Price this offseason, and if that's the case then it's unlikely Chicago will make many more moves in free agency. Price, 30, is expected to land a $200 million deal and the rest of the starters on the open market will not be cheap.
As a result, Epstein and Hoyer plan to keep their options plentiful when speaking with other teams about trades. Chicago has one of the deepest farm systems in the MLB and has a lot to offer, especially to teams with a dearth of young talent.
"If something makes sense where we would trade out some surplus on the position-playing side for some pitching depth, that's something we have to explore," Hoyer added.
Starlin Castro, Javier Baez and Jorge Soler were among those subject to trade rumors over the past year. All three would likely be of interest to at least a few teams across the MLB, so the Cubs will perhaps have a lot to work with especially with the way those three finished out the 2015 season.
Stay tuned for updates during this week's GM meetings. Trades likely won't be executed within the next few days, but the talks that will take place should expedite the process over the next couple of weeks.
