The Chicago Cubs made a significant trade on Wednesday, sending top prospect Owen Caissie to the Miami Marlins for starting pitcher Edward Cabrera. After a disappointing end to last season, they have made a big swing to start the offseason. But The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal says the Cabrera trade does not get the Cubs a free pass out of free agency.
“To varying degrees, any of the remaining Big Four hitters – Kyle Tucker, Cody Bellinger, Alex Bregman and Bo Bichette – would make sense,” Rosenthal wrote. “If recent history is any indication, the Cubs aren’t a good bet to outbid the other large-market teams linked to one or more of those players – the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers.”
The insider continued, “But when the game of free-agent musical chairs ends – and trust us it will, well before the first beer is sold at Wrigley Field – the Cubs will have no excuse to be caught empty-handed.”
The Cubs made a big trade last offseason as well, picking up Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros. Now, Tucker is still available in free agency, but Chicago has not shown a ton of interest. Outside of Dansby Swanson’s $177 million deal, Chicago has not signed many players to big-time contracts.
The Cubs have now traded two top prospects, Caissie and Cam Smith, in the past two offseasons. That is a fine process if the team were willing to spend in free agency to help their existing core. That has not been the case in recent years. Thankfully for fans, Cabrera is not a free agent until 2029, so that conversation is a ways off.
Rosenthal calls for the Cubs to be the big-market spender they can be. Which player makes the most sense for them on a big-money contract this offseason?
