While the Chicago Cubs’ front office has gotten flak from the fan base in the past for not being as aggressive spenders as fans think they should be, given the amount of revenue they make, Cubs President Jed Hoyer pulled the trigger on a blockbuster trade to bring Kyle Tucker to Wrigley Field in 2025.
And although Chicago’s 2025 run ended in the NLDS, there’s no question that having Tucker in the middle of the Cubs’ lineup was a big reason why they made it that far in the first place, which probably would not have happened without him (especially after Chicago traded Cody Bellinger to the New York Yankees after bringing Tucker on board).
Therefore, even if Tucker doesn’t re-sign with Chicago in free agency (which most think he won’t), his trade should be viewed as a success. And fans will hope this portends Chicago continuing to be active in the trade market in the years to come, especially as they look to re-tool their roster in this upcoming offseason.
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This optimism about the Cubs’ potential aggression in trades encountered some resistance with an October 23 article by The Athletic’s MLB insider Jim Bowden. In the article, Bowden listed the top 10 players who could be on the trading block this offseason and listed teams that he believes will show interest in each of these players.
The Cubs were not mentioned a single time in the article. This is head-scratching, given that Chicago could seem to make a lot of sense for several names Bowden listed, such as Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm.
In contrast, the New York Mets were mentioned for four of the 10 players included, while teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Boston Red Sox, and the New York Yankees were listed for multiple players.
Top 10 players likely to be traded this offseason according to Jim Bowden
1) Tarik Skubal
2) Freddy Peralta
3) Hunter Greene
4) Jarren Duran
5) Mackenzie Gore
6) Sandy Alcantara
7) Sonny Gray
8) Brandon Lowe
9) Alec Bohm
10) Jo Adell pic.twitter.com/3ac1BlII1B— AT (@YankeeWRLD) October 23, 2025
One potential reason for the Cubs getting snubbed in Bowden’s article is that six of the 10 players listed are starting pitchers, which isn’t an immediate trade need for Chicago (although they could still use another quality arm).
Plus, five of these six starters are in the National League, and three of them (Freddy Peralta, Hunter Greene, and Sonny Gray) currently play in the NL Central. Trades between divisional rivals are relatively rare, which might be a reason why the Cubs didn’t come to mind as trade fits for these players.
Regardless, Cubs fans are surely hoping that their franchise’s front office proves Bowden wrong with at least one of these players in the months to come.
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