Overview
- Jed Hoyer signaled an active winter with a primary focus on bolstering the rotation and bullpen after the NLDS exit.
- Reporting from The Athletic and MLB Trade Rumors says Chicago has interest in free agent Michael King and is prepared to forfeit draft and international pool money to sign qualified free agents such as King or Dylan Cease.
- The Cubs are weighing multiple paths to pitching help, including NPB right-hander Tatsuya Imai and revisiting trade talks with Miami starters, while Shota Imanaga’s qualifying offer decision remains a factor.
- Key deals expire after 2026 for Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner and Jameson Taillon, Dansby Swanson is signed through 2029, and the club projects a roughly $158 million payroll that sits well below the luxury-tax threshold.
- Team officials reject comparisons to the 2021 teardown, pointing to a cost-controlled core headlined by Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch, Matt Shaw and Cade Horton, with Hoyer framing post-2026 payroll flexibility as an opportunity as CBA uncertainty could influence deal structures.