MLB Rumors: Cubs linked to Jordan Montgomery as sleeper target

Name a big free agent in the 2023-24 MLB offseason, and there's a good chance that the Chicago Cubs have been connected to it. You could also apply this to the trade market as well, specifically as it pertains to their starting pitching.

Whether we're talking Shohei Ohtani (after 2024 for pitching, of course), Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow or Dylan Cease trades, or another of other options, it seems as if the Cubs are dead-set on big-game hunting to fill out the rotation. This is especially true with Marcus Stroman now walking after declining his option.

But if the Cubs miss out on those top targets, all of whom are highly coveted around the league, where would they turn? How about a World Series winner who is quite familiar with the NL Central?

Jeff Passan of ESPN ($) reported on Friday that the Cubs could look at LHP Jordan Montgomery as a proverbial backup plan if they were to miss out on Yamamoto or one of the high-profile trade targets currently being floated around. However, there will be competition:

"The Rangers want to re-sign him. He could be a strike-first option for Boston if it's feeling squishy about Yamamoto. Same to the Cubs, particularly if the top end of the market doesn't pan out," Passan wrote.

Montgomery has been traded twice in the past two seasons, but not because of lack of performance. The Yankees dealt him to the Cubs rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, in 2022 before the Cards bottomed out this past season and traded him as a rental to the Rangers, which worked splendidly as Montgomery helped lead the way to the franchise's first ring.

Over 64 starts in the past two seasons, though, the southpaw has been stellar with a 3.34 ERA, 1.144 WHIP, 3.59 FIP and 324/84 strikeout/walk ration. He's been the goods. Even if he's proposed as a Plan B type for the Cubs, he could perform like a Plan A option if that's the direction that Chicago were to end up going in.

MLB Rumors: Braves trade package for Shane Bieber proposed

For the past week or so, one of the biggest topics of conversation for the MLB offseason has been the possibility of the Atlanta Braves pulling off a blockbuster trade for Chicago White Sox young ace and 2022 AL Cy Young runner-up Dylan Cease.

That's still not out of the realm of possibility as the Braves do appear to be in actual discussions about such a deal. However, with the trade market currently booming, what if Alex Anthopoulos turned his attention to another Cy Young-caliber starter in the AL Central: Guardians ace Shane Bieber?

Jim Bowden of The Athletic ($) proposed six blockbuster trades that could be feasible at the Winter Meetings, one of which was the Braves landing Bieber, who will be a free agent after the 2024 season unless he's signed to an extension. Here was the trade package he proposed:

Bowden noted that the Braves might also have to consider offering their top prospect, AJ Smith-Shawver, straight up in a deal, which also might necessitate involving a third team into the deal to give the Guardians one of their top positions of need this offseason, a power-hitting corner outfielder.

We've already seen the Braves miss out in free agency on two potential targets, though, in Sonny Gray (Cardinals) and Aaron Nola (Phillies). That could ramp up the pressure for Anthopoulos to make a big move to address the rotation, something that has been a stated priority for a team that has won 100+ games in each of the past two years since winning the World Series, but has been bounced in the Divisional Round of each postseason.

For what could ostensibly be considered a rental of Bieber if the Braves are unable to lock up an extension, would giving up valuable pieces like Schwellenbach, Grissom or Smith-Shawver be worth it? Difficult to say, but that's the type of thing Anthopoulos and Co. will have to take under heavy consideration at the Winter Meetings.

MLB Rumors: Red Sox, Mets, Rangers out of Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes

Before the MLB Winter Meetings get underway in Nashville next week, we're already starting to get more clarity on how Shohei Ohtani's franchise-changing free agency could play out. Namely, we know -- at least reportedly -- three teams that are turning their attention elsewhere.

ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan ($) reported on Friday as a preview for the Winter Meetings that, while contenders like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels remain in the mix, three previously reported contenders are not. Per Passan, the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, and World Series-champion Texas Rangers have all bowed out of the race to turn "their attention to other players".

The Mets have looked the part of an outsider since the trade deadline when Steve Cohen cut bait on the lucrative investments in Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, but this further confirms that. The Red Sox and the Rangers, however, are both a bit surprising, yet understandable.

Though there had been some growing buzz about Ohtani's desire to win in regards to his connection to the Rangers, Texas has spent hugely in free agency in recent years and might be looking to not set records with a contract offter to Ohtani this season. And in the case of the Red Sox, this roster that Craig Breslow is taking over is more than one superstar -- even at Ohtani's level -- away from contending again. Thus, this approach and adding multiple stars might be more prudent.

Again, in MLB free agency, things can turn on a dime. If any of these three teams got word that Ohtani has them as his top option, this thought process that Passan is reporting might flip. But for now, we might be down to a four-team race... or five if you count the San Francisco Giants, a club lurking but with little info about where they ultimately stand as of now.