The Chicago Cubs were on the brink of a postseason berth in 2024. They had some talent and swiped manager Craig Counsell from the Milwaukee Brewers. But ultimately, the Cubs didn't have enough firepower to truly compete.
Now that Chicago has seen a full season under Counsell, it was able to build the coaching staff around him. The Cubs have free agency and the trade market to build the roster of players that they will send out under Counsell in 2025.
And reports are indicating that Chicago is open to some serious roster shakeup over the next few months.
ESPN's Jeff Passan revealed that the Cubs could be willing to trade not just one but two of their stars this winter as they look to reshape their roster in the best way possible.
"The Cubs don't have to trade the 27-year-old (Nico Hoerner) this winter, but with Matt Shaw big-league-ready, they could use Hoerner to land a starting pitcher," Passan wrote. "Hoerner's ability to play shortstop as well is appealing to teams interested in middle-infield help. Another Cub available: Cody Bellinger, who opted into a $27.5 million salary for 2025."
Moving Hoerner could be seen as the traditional "addition by subtraction" move. Clearing space for top prospect Matt Shaw while adding a starting pitcher would be quite a great move for Chicago.
As for Bellinger, there are a lot of teams that could use him. Whichever New York team misses on Soto (or if both miss on Soto) could be a great fit to make a trade for Bellinger. The left-handed outfielder would fill a hole in either the New York Mets or New York Yankees lineup.
