The St. Louis Cardinals sent shockwaves through the NL Central on Monday, signing free agent pitcher Sonny Gray to a three-year contract worth $75 million. Not only did the Cardinals get the runner-up to the AL Cy Young Award, but they got the top-tier pitcher they have coveted since talk began of the rotation rebuild the team would undergo this offseason.
The Cardinals have some leverage in going after more talent through trade. The Cardinals NL Central rivals, specifically the Chicago Cubs, look to counter St. Louis with moves of their own.
Per their usual offseason goals, the Cubs are going after pitching and star power. The team, which shocked the baseball world by signing former Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell as their new manager, is connected to Shohei Ohtani, Bo Bichette, and Cody Bellinger.
While they are not likely to get everyone on their wishlist, they do want to get someone who will offset the Cardinals getting Gray. Who will the Cubs look to make a move for in the coming days?
The Cubs must trade for Alex Bregman
The Cubs have already shocked many by bringing Counsell in as manager. Bringing Alex Bregman to play third base for the Cubs would be equally shocking. This season is Bregman's final of his current contract with the Houston Astros, which was $100 million over five years.
The Cubs hope to bring Bregman the needed big name on the field and a power bat for the line-up. In 2023, he hit .262/.363/.441 with an OPS of .804. He hit 28 doubles, four triples, 25 home runs, 103 runs scored, and 98 RBIs. In other words, Bregman brings alot more to the table as a third baseman for the Cubs than anyone they currently have in their system.
The Astros would have to be convinced Bregman would be okay with moving on from the team that drafted him as the second-overall pick of the 2015 MLB Amateur Draft. The Cubs would have to be okay with taking a gamble by putting forth a strong enough package to attract the Astros. Given the number of prospects it would likely take, the Cubs would have to hope they can offer an extension to keep Bregman around longer than just this one season.
It would be a gamble the Cubs could afford if the Astros take them up on it.
The Cubs must trade for Tyler Glasnow
The Cubs and Cardinals are the two teams favored to trade for the services of Tyler Glasnow.
While the Cardinals have already signed Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn, and Kyle Gibson, the team did make pitching their top priority of the offseason. They are seeking out innings-eating strike throwers. Glasnow was 10-7 with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2023. He had a 3.35 ERA over 21 games started and 120 innings pitched. He struck out 162 batters. At 30, Glasnow is in the final season of his two-year $30.35 million deal with the Rays.
The Cardinals have a glut of outfielders and even some pitching prospects they could bundle together for Glasnow's services.
The Cubs have a rotation that includes Kyle Hendricks, Justin Steele, Jameson Tailion, and Javier Assad. The Cubs should be passionate in their mission to get pitching this offseason. It has to be why they are linked to Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, among others. While the Cardinals rotation was sketchy in 2023, the Cubs can't go another season with their current rotation.
The Cubs have some major league talent, as well as prospects, they could flip prospects for Glasnow. If they want to answer the Cardinals' moves to get pitching, acquiring Glasnow would be a massive response for the Cubbies, especially considering they're likely to lose Marcus Stroman as well.
The Cubs must trade for Shane Bieber
Bieber is in his final season of arbitration and will be a free agent in 2025. The Cleveland Guardians must believe it might be a good time to try to get some for Bieber while they can.
The Cubs are believed to be actively trying to make a deal for the former AL Cy Young Award winner.
In 21 starts in 2023, Bieber was 6-6 with an ERA of 3.80. Bieber pitched 128 innings. He threw 107 strikeouts. Over his career spanning six seasons, Bieber has thrown 938 strikeouts over 831 innings.
If the Guardians deal Bieber, he would be the ideal workhorse many teams want to add to their pitching staff. If the Guardians decide now is the time to get something for Bieber, the Cubs should be able to put together a package of prospects with some major league talent to acquire the coveted arm.
Convincing Bieber to stick around via a contract extension would be tough, of course, especially if the Cubs are limited financially based on their interest in high-priced free agents this offseason.
