Chicago Cubs linked to ace-level starting pitching at GM meetings

The Chicago Cubs have an unusually significant amount of rebuilding and restocking to do for a team that made it all the way to Game Five of the NLDS.

More News: Chicago Cubs: Free agents to target for a 2026 bench rebuild

The offseason need for fixing and tidying up is especially unusual given that seven of the eight non-pitching positions are locked down and settled well ahead of the upcoming season.

However, the bullpen will need an almost complete rebuild. Of the relievers on the NLDS roster, only Daniel Palencia and Ben Brown remain with the team. Andrew Kittredge has already been traded back to the Orioles. Meanwhile, Brad Keller, Drew Pomeranz, Caleb Thielbar, Michael Soroka, Aaron Civale, Ryan Brasier, and Taylor Rogers are officially free agents.

The starting rotation has now been thrown into a bit of uncertainty with the Cubs declining the option on Shota Imanaga.

Then, of course, there’s the bench, which will also need a rebuild ahead of 2026.

GM meetings buzz: Big-name free agent pitching linked to Cubs

More News: Chicago Cubs: Stakes and risks in qualifying offers made to Kyle Tucker and Shota Imanaga

The question, though, is how Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer will choose to fill those roster holes within the budget constraints given to him by chairman Tom Ricketts.

The MLB GM meetings are taking place this week and that’s where teams feel each other out to see which clubs are looking for what and how aggressive they’ll be in pursuing their needs. At least one MLB insider is hearing from executives that the Cubs may shock people with how they move this offseason.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today is reporting that the buzz among executives at the meetings is that the Cubs will be a “sleeper” team when it comes to offseason spending. Noting the embarrassment of once again finishing behind the NL Central rival Milwaukee Brewers, some believe that Chicago might actually flex its major market muscle and spend like the major revenue generator it is.

Per Nightengale:

“The Chicago Cubs know that finishing second to the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central every year is inexcusable, and with Tucker expected to depart for greater riches, they’ll have plenty of money to burn. They want another corner outfielder, and will be shopping in the expensive aisle for starting pitching, with fellow GMs predicting they could land Framber Valdez and/or Dylan Cease.”

Chicago Cubs will be in a strong position to spend

The Cubs WILL have a substantial amount of money off the books heading into 2026, with some projections showing them to have in the neighborhood of $100 million to play with before hitting the first luxury tax threshold.

They’re also a Top 4 MLB revenue generator, behind only the Yankees, Dodgers, and Red Sox.

With that being said, the Cubs are likely to let free agent right fielder Kyle Tucker go into free agency without much of a fight to get him back. A contract of 10-11 years for $400 million+ might always be too rich for the Cubs’ tastes. They’re also likely crossing their fingers that Imanaga declines the $22 million qualifying offer they made to him after the declined mutual options.

Concerns over looming lockout?

If the Cubs land a front-of-rotation ace like Valdez and/or Cease, it would be a major turnaround from the team’s unspoken policy of shying away from big-money, multi-year contracts for pitchers. It would also fly in the face of the widely held belief that the Cubs will be shying away from long-term deals with a 2027 MLB lockout looming.

Nightengale notes, however, that not a single GM interviewed by him said they were told by ownership to spend less this offseason because of the potential labor dispute.

“We had the same thing going into the 2021 season and it didn’t stop teams from spending,” one NL GM told Nightengale. “I don’t see it having any effect, Now, a year from now, may be a completely different story. But not now. I haven’t heard that from any team.”

Time will tell just how accurate this “Cubs as free agent sleepers” buzz truly is. It seems that every offseason and every trade deadline is filled with stories of how aggressive the Cubs will finally be in pursuit of a championship. As always, seeing is believing.

The post Chicago Cubs linked to ace-level starting pitching at GM meetings appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-free-agent-pitching-cease-valdez