Joel Wolfe speaks to reporters at the Winter Meetings. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

The Rundown: Suzuki Jumps to Top of Trade Speculation, Sandberg Suffers Setback, Winter Meetings Slow So Far

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterDecember 10, 2024

I’m still among the shrinking minority that thinks Jed Hoyer will not trade Cody Bellinger this winter, but I do think at least one major trade or free agent signing is coming. Seiya Suzuki isn’t going anywhere is attached to the latest hot rumor and Nico Hoerner is a likely trade candidate. One of Miguel Amaya or Moises Ballesteros could be catching for another team in 2025, too. That said, I believe Hoyer will at least add one frontline starter and another reliever. I’d like to see him add to the offense, but Matt Shaw replacing Hoerner might be the extent of any lineup changes.

Bellinger and Isaac Paredes could be moved at the trade deadline if the Cubs underwhelm in 2025. Why the hesitation on immediate moves? The Cubs improved their chances of winning the NL Central because the Brewers and Cardinals will be much weaker. The Reds are hard to gauge because of their inability to play defense, and the Pirates are still a year away. Hoyer will owe steak dinners to his executive counterparts if his contract is extended beyond 2025.

Winning by attrition and backing into a division championship is the best version of intelligent spending. John Fogerty would be proud of Hoyer.

Cubs News & Notes

  • Prayers up for Ryne Sandberg, who has another fight ahead after some unsettling news. Sandberg shared an unfortunate update regarding his ongoing battle with prostate cancer.
  • The Cubs and Yankees love Kyle Tucker, but so do the Astros. Though no real rumor exists, I wouldn’t mind seeing Hoyer trade for the Houston outfielder.
  • The Cubs are also interested in starter Garrett Crochet, though White Sox GM Chris Getz is seeking an overpay.
  • Hoyer reportedly gave a list of teams interested in Suzuki to Joel Wolfe, who represents the veteran outfielder. Suzuki, who has a full NTC and prefers not to play DH, according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. The Phillies, Yankees, and Guardians seem like a good fit, but the 30-year-old’s availability could add legs to any Tucker-to-Chicago rumor. The Cubs owe Suzuki $38 million across the next two seasons.
  • Suzuki said he would consider waiving his NTC for the right deal. “[Hoyer] told me what teams they’ve been talking to,” Wolfe said. “I don’t think he wants to trade Seiya, but there may be a scenario where he feels like he has a deal that he can’t say no to. So he’s talked to us about what teams Seiya would consider. And it’s a small universe of where Seiya would consider going. Seiya is a very strongly opinionated guy. So I could see where that might happen, but it didn’t sound like it was necessarily likely.”
  • Wolfe also represents Rōki Sasaki, by the way.
  • The agent met with reporters at the Winter Meetings in Dallas on Tuesday and outlined the process for Sasaki’s forthcoming decision.
  • The Cubs know their path to improving the roster is through trades instead of free agency.
  • Bellinger is now one of the hottest names at this week’s Winter Meetings. I am predicting a flurry of activity among several teams between dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow.
  • That said, Hoyer predicted he and his team were more likely to lay the groundwork for significant moves at the meetings and finish them after departing.
  • Hoyer said Dansby Swanson was treated for a sports hernia after the season.
  • Swanson’s core surgery is not expected to affect his availability when the Cubs report to Arizona in February.
  • The Cubs are reportedly making progress on a deal with catcher Carson Kelly.

Odds & Sods

The common answer is to trade for Tucker, but that seems highly unlikely. Cubs fans are setting themselves up for inevitable disappointment.

Central Intelligence

Tuesday Stove

The Winter Meetings are suffering from a slight lull after the Juan Soto announcement. Nothing major has happened since late Sunday evening, and there’s much more rumor and speculation than activity.

The White Sox and Mike Tauchman have agreed to terms on a one-year contract.

The Padres are feeling “very optimistic” in their pursuit of Sasaki.

David Stearns of the Mets said he “would love” to bring back Pete Alonso.

The Yankees will also pursue Alonso.

It’s going to take a special player to outearn Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani, but Gunnar Henderson and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. head a list of five players who could surpass Aaron Judge as the sport’s fifth-highest-paid player.

The Yankees and Mets are the most aggressive teams pursuing a trade for Crochet.

The league will conduct its Draft Lottery at 4:30pm CT today.

Extra Innings

If Matthew Boyd can replicate the successes of Shōta Imanaga and Justin Steele, I’ll jump to the head of the Hoyer praise line. A lot of pitchers are very late bloomers. Perhaps Boyd is one, too.

They Said It

  • “I haven’t read one accurate [trade rumor] yet. I don’t look at it very much. It’s hard, right? Because I feel like so many times when you read the rumor out there, it’s because someone wants that out there, right?” – Hoyer
  • “In order for a deal, for us, to make sense, it would have to clear whatever our replacement level at that position is, which has gotten harder and harder as we’ve gotten better and better. We have good position players at most positions. You’re not going to bend over backward and do a big deal to add half a win and have a negative asset in the future. All these are the things you’re thinking about. I feel like you have to clear that bar by a decent amount because you’re probably not doing that on a one-year [move].” – Hoyer
  • “Good players get asked about. That’s just how this works now. I think I worry about it a little more during the season. In the off-season, it’s just part of it. It’s part of being a good player. It’s a compliment in a lot of ways.” – Craig Counsell
  • “I’m glad Cody’s back in the mix.” – Counsell

Tuesday Walk-Up Song

More Creedence, please, and thank you. I love Creedence.

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterDecember 10, 2024
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