The Cubs swung maybe probably the most surprising commerce of the summer season to this point at this time after they acquired third baseman Isaac Paredes from the Rays in alternate for younger slugger Christopher Morel, reduction prospect Hunter Bigge, and pitching prospect Ty Johnson. Paredes, as among the best hitters obtainable this summer season, was rumored to be of curiosity to various win-now golf equipment such because the Dodgers, Yankees, and Mariners, however as a substitute ended up in Chicago with a membership that’s simply 51-56 final yr and just lately noticed its president of baseball operations admit the membership was prioritizing the longer term with its strategy to this yr’s deadline.
The addition of Paredes, who’s controllable via the tip of the 2027 season, doesn’t essentially go towards that acknowledged ethos. The identical might be mentioned for the membership’s acquisition of Blue Jays reliever Nate Pearson, who’s managed via the tip of the 2026 marketing campaign. It seems the Cubs could also be enthusiastic about including items that aren’t set to stay with the membership long-term, nonetheless, as Jon Heyman of the New York Submit urged this afternoon that the Cubs are among the many groups exhibiting curiosity in Giants lefty Blake Snell. The reigning NL Cy Younger award winner received off to a tough begin this yr however has begun to proper the ship in current weeks, main The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal to recommend yesterday that groups view Snell as prone to choose out of the rest of his contract at season’s finish.
That reported curiosity in Snell is considerably shocking, notably given the truth that the Cubs have seemingly been fielding curiosity on veteran right-hander Jameson Taillon in current weeks. The beginning rotation has been an simple power for the Cubs this yr, as their 3.72 rotation ERA ranks sixth within the majors thanks primarily to elite performances from Taillon, Justin Steele, and Shota Imanaga. Whereas including a pitcher of Snell’s caliber would certainly bolster the membership’s rotation and will even permit the membership to deal Taillon with out struggling a short-term dip in manufacturing, the truth that golf equipment seemingly view Snell as extra doubtless than to not head again to free company this fall appears to immediately contradict the membership’s acknowledged plan to concentrate on the longer term this summer season.
No matter what the Cubs’ plans are concerning Taillon or a attainable pursuit of Snell, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reported previous to at this time’s commerce for Paredes that the Cubs are “listening” to gives concerning nearly anybody on the roster however are specializing in making an attempt to commerce from their bullpen combine. Per Sharma, 4 reduction arms in notably are most steadily introduced up by contenders enthusiastic about coping with the Cubs over the approaching days: right-handers Hector Neris, Julian Merryweather, and Mark Leiter Jr. in addition to southpaw Drew Smyly. Of the quartet, Sharma means that veterans Smyly and Neris are the almost certainly to maneuver, as every may turn out to be a free agent at season’s finish.
Neris, who has posted an uneven season with a 3.68 ERA and 4.54 FIP this yr, has a $9MM crew choice in his contract that may convert right into a $9MM participant choice within the occasion that he reaches both 60 appearances or 45 video games completed this yr. With 39 appearances and 27 video games completed to this point this yr, each benchmarks are inside the realm of risk, and Sharma means that this facet of his contract “complicates” the potential for a commerce. Smyly, who sports activities a 2.79 ERA and 4.52 FIP in 38 2/3 innings of labor this yr, has a a lot easier contractual scenario; his contract comes with a $10MM mutual choice that’s sure to be declined by one aspect or the opposite in favor of a $2.5MM buyout.
Whereas Neris and Smyly appear unlikely to command huge returns, The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney, Will Sammon, and Katie Woo just lately mentioned the hefty value tags which have include controllable relievers this season. Mooney, Sammon, Woo, and Sharma all consider that the Cubs intend to deal Leiter and Merryweather provided that they will leverage that sellers’ marketplace for cost-controlled reduction arms, with Sharma noting that the asking value is “excessive” for Leiter particularly. The 33-year-old’s 4.37 ERA this yr is unspectacular, however his huge 34.5% strikeout charge, a glowing 2.18 FIP, and the truth that he might be managed via the tip of the 2026 season all may make him a really interesting addition for contenders in quest of reduction assist. As for Merryweather, the 32-year-old has been injured a lot of this yr however is now wholesome, sports activities a 3.33 ERA and three.44 FIP since becoming a member of the Cubs previous to the 2023 marketing campaign, and comes with the identical two further season of membership management that Leiter does.
One other consideration for the Cubs, whether or not they’re including or subtracting from the present roster, figures to be the posh tax. Chicago at present sports activities a luxurious tax payroll of slightly below $234MM in keeping with RosterResource, a determine that places them a bit greater than $3MM underneath the primary threshold of the posh tax. The addition of a participant with a hefty wage like Snell would certainly put them properly past that threshold, whereas dealing a participant like Taillon or perhaps a inexpensive reduction arm like Neris or Smyly would doubtless provide the Cubs further respiratory room beneath the tax threshold. Given the truth that Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts urged again in February that the “pure” place for the membership’s payroll to land was proper up towards the tax threshold, it might be one thing of a shock for possession to greenlight spending past the posh tax in a yr the place the membership evidently is just not anticipating to make the postseason.
