NEWSLETTER
One the eve of the 2024 MLB Winter Meetings kicking off, I cannot promise you that we are in for a wild and crazy week for the Chicago Cubs, specifically. I think it’s pretty much a lock at this point that we are in for some big signings and trades around the game, but whether the Cubs will get anything over the finish line is only a guess.
That said, we know the Cubs have been active behind the scenes in TRYING to set some things up, and it is certainly POSSIBLE that stars align just right for this move or that move.
To set up some of that backdrop, I thought it worth offering this confirmation from Maddie Lee at the Sun-Times that two of the biggest rumors we’ve been hearing about do in fact have truth behind them:
“Among those many conversations, they have had at least preliminary talks with the Mariners about Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner, and with the White Sox about their ace, Garrett Crochet, sources confirmed.”
The rumors on Hoerner/Mariners and on Cubs/Crochet were already out there, but I think this puts the final stamp on it that, yes, these are trade discussions that have taken place. And it doesn’t necessarily sound like they are deals that have since been ruled out – only that they haven’t been completed. It’s not too hard to surmise that the White Sox are still working angles on Crochet to get the best possible return (which might be held up by certain free agents not yet having signed). It’s also not too hard to surmise that interested trade partners on Hoerner might want to see him get further along in his rehab from flexor tendon surgery before pulling the trigger. Maybe this week brings news on one or both fronts.
Which is to say, with Crochet known to be on the move at some point this offseason, and with the Cubs known to be trying to maneuver their positional group in some way (with Hoerner and Cody Bellinger the two most obvious pieces), those are a couple storylines that bear watching this week, among many others. Hopefully including some surprises. Also, hopefully just some necessary things, like a catcher (just sign Carson Kelly already) and another quality reliever or two.
