Chicago Cubs

Two National League Central rivals are engaged in trade talks for former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber and Tyler Glasnow.

Per MLB Network's Jon Morosi, the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds are among teams in active conversations with the Cleveland Guardians about Bieber and Tampa Bay Rays for Glasnow.

The Cubs are one of the most intriguing teams to keep an eye on this offseason. They already made a big splash by making Craig Counsell the highest-paid manager in MLB history.

Even with the addition of Counsell in the dugout, the Cubs still have several holes to fill on their roster before they can think about becoming a playoff contender again. They are expected to make a serious run at Shohei Ohtani until the two-time AL MVP decides where he's going to sign.

If the Ohtani pursuit doesn't work out, the Cubs have stated they'd be interested in bringing back Cody Bellinger.

Even if they were to sign Ohtani or Bellinger, pitching is an area of need for Chicago. Justin Steele is coming off a great season and Kyle Hendricks had a solid bounce-back year, but the depth behind them is a question.

The Reds are also a team in need of pitching help as they look to build off a surprise 82-80 record in 2023. Andrew Abbott was the only starter on their roster who made at least five starts and posted a sub-4.00 ERA.

Bieber and Glasnow could be moved this offseason because of the limited payroll flexibility imposed by the owners of their current teams.

Based on their performances last season, Glasnow offers a much higher ceiling than Bieber. The 30-year-old had a 3.53 ERA and 162 strikeouts in 130 innings. Bieber finished 2023 with a 3.80 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 128 innings.

Glasnow is owed $25 million in 2024 before being eligible for free agency. Bieber is going into his final season of arbitration with a projected salary of $12.2 million.

Both players have injury concerns that could impact their trade value. Bieber missed two months last season due to elbow inflammation. Glasnow missed the first two months of the season with a strained oblique and has made a total of 37 starts over the past three years.

As the New York Yankees explore their options for a new outfielder, Cody Bellinger appears to be near the top of that list.

And despite another excellent campaign in his first season with the Chicago Cubs, it appears that the Yankees are a bit concerned over his hard-hit rate, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman.

Bellinger batted .307/.365/.525 with 26 homers and 97 RBI in 130 games of action.

On paper, it appears that Bellinger would be the perfect fit in the Bronx as a left-handed outfielder that'll help diversify a right-handed heavy lineup. He also has the type of playoff experience that'll help a Yankees squad that has struggled to get over the hump in recent years.

Bellinger is a former NL and NLCS MVP.

It's also understandable why the Yankees will be nervous with this type of situation following the trade for Joey Gallo in 2021. Gallo struggled mightily during his time with the team and was ultimately shipped to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Gallo never hit better than .160 during his time with the Yankees.

However, Bellinger isn't a complete strikeout artist, hitting .279 when having two strikes.

New York also has interest in Juan Soto and Korean two-way center fielder Jung-Hoo Lee.

If the Chicago Cubs are looking for more stable production at first base in 2024, New York Mets star Pete Alonso could be a trade target for the organization.

Per ESPN's Jesse Rogers, the Cubs are considered a potential fit for Alonso with Christopher Morel being the centerpiece of a deal if the Mets decide to trade the three-time All-Star.

Alonso's status figures to be carefully monitored by clubs throughout the offseason. Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns told reporters at the general managers meetings last week they are planning to have the star first baseman back in 2024.

"We're fortunate to have him," Stearns said. "I'm looking forward to watching him play this season, and I'm not going to predict the future."

The future Stearns was referring to related to a potential contract extension for Alonso. He is entering his final season of arbitration with a projected salary of $22 million.

Stearns, who is entering his first full season running the Mets' front office, has some big decisions to make about the direction he wants to take the franchise.

Max Scherzer told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal in August after he waived his no-trade clause to accept a deal to the Texas Rangers that then-Mets general manager Billy Eppler told him their "vision" was on 2025 and beyond.

Eppler stepped down at the end of the season, so it's possible those plans might have changed. It's also plausible that the Mets could still try to build more for 2025 and beyond, while considering Alonso a core player they want to keep long-term.

The Cubs seem like one of the teams ready to make at least one big move for a star player this offseason. They've already been cited as a potential landing spot for Shohei Ohtani.

Chicago has a lot of talent in their farm system to trade from if it wants to make a deal for a player of Alonso's caliber.

Morel on his own wouldn't be enough to get the Mets to sign off on a deal for Alonso. The 24-year-old is almost like an off-brand version of Alonso. He's got a similar power profile, but strikes out more and walks less than Alonso.

In 767 at-bats over 220 career games, Morel has a .241/.311/.471 slash line with 42 homers and 270 strikeouts.

Alonso had a career-worst .217 batting average and .318 on-base percentage, but he slugged 46 homers in 154 games for the Mets last season.

Having already signed Craig Counsell to a historic managerial contract, the Chicago Cubs appear ready to go big in free agency for the first time in years.

Per ESPN's Jesse Rogers, the Cubs are seen as "more likely to sign" Shohei Ohtani than bring back Cody Bellinger.

One source told Rogers that Bellinger is "as good as gone" after spending the 2023 season in Chicago.

Bellinger's market could be one of the most difficult to figure out. On the surface, a 28-year-old former NL MVP coming off a 20-20 season would seem likely to command whatever deal he wants.

But even with a successful 2023 campaign under his belt, Bellinger has been a below-average hitter with a 95 OPS+ in the four seasons since he was named NL MVP in 2019.

Bellinger also ranked in the 27th percentile in barrel rate and 22nd percentile in average exit velocity last season. He hit well by dramatically reducing his strikeout rate from 26.9 percent in 2021 and 27.3 percent in 2022 to 15.3 percent.

Sacrificing power for contact worked well for Bellinger last season, but will he be able to keep up that trend going forward? This doesn't even factor in the injuries that limited his performance in 2021 and 2022, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to non-tender him last offseason.

Ohtani is, by far, the best hitter available this offseason. The Cubs are a marquee franchise in Major League Baseball that should be involved in talks with his representatives until a final decision is made.

Rogers noted the Cubs pursued Ohtani when he was first deciding which MLB team to play for in the winter of 2017. They were among the seven finalists for the Japanese superstar before he signed with the Los Angeles Angels.

The Cubs already have a promising nucleus with players like Justin Steele, Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ in place. Top prospects Pete Crow-Armstrong, Owen Caissie and Kevin Alcántara should be in the big leagues at some point in 2024.

Adding Ohtani to that group would make the Cubs one of the most formidable teams in MLB. This is a formula the team previously used to great success when they signed Jon Lester and Jason Heyward to fill out a roster loaded with young talent that went on to win the 2016 World Series.

Ohtani is at a different level than Lester or Heyward were back then. He's almost certainly going to be named AL MVP for the second time in three years when the award is handed out on Thursday night.

After missing the playoffs in each of the past three seasons, the Cubs seem poised to make a big splash this offseason that will allow them to join the ranks of the NL's elite clubs for 2024.

During his introductory press conference Monday, new Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell discussed his decision to leave the Milwaukee Brewers in favor of the National League Central rival Cubs.

According to Alex Shapiro of NBC Sports Chicago, Counsell explained what drew him to the Cubs organization, saying:

"From a baseball standpoint, I think I saw quickly that the organization is just in great health, and Jed presented a very compelling vision of that. It is the right time to be a Cub. There is momentum happening here, and it feels close. And that means there's a really exciting future ahead of us. Now it's my job to be part of taking us to the next level, and that's the plan."

The 53-year-old Counsell, who spent 16 MLB seasons as a utility player with five different teams and won two World Series, was the Brewers' manager for nine seasons before taking the job in Chicago.

Milwaukee went 707-625 with three NL Central titles and five playoff appearances during Counsell's tenure, but it never managed to break through with a World Series appearance.

The Brewers went 92-70 and won the division this past season before falling to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL Wild Card Series.

Counsell managed without a contract beyond 2023, and he ultimately decided to test the open market before landing a reported five-year, $40 million contract with the Cubs.

Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, the deal makes Counsell the highest-paid manager in Major League Baseball by far at $8 million per season, as the previous high salary was $4.5 million per year.

Counsell joins a Cubs organization that has missed the playoffs in three consecutive seasons after making the playoffs in five of the previous six campaigns, including their World Series-winning year of 2016.

However, to Counsell's point, the Cubs are building momentum, as they went 83-79 in 2023, marking their first winning record since 2020.

With Counsell aboard, the Cubs have a chance to reclaim the distinction of being the team to beat in the NL Central, which is a title the Brewers held in recent years.

Cody Bellinger declining his 2024 mutual option with the Cubs doesn't rule out him playing in Chicago next season.

The Cubs are one of three favorites to sign the NL Silver Slugger-winning utility player in free agency, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

The New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants are also in the running for Bellinger, per Nightengale.

Bellinger slashed .307/.356/.525 with 97 RBI and 26 home runs for the Cubs last season, his best totals in every category since his All-Star 2019 campaign with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Now the center fielder and first baseman will be looking to cash in on 2023 with a contract larger than his $12 million Cubs option. Spotrac projects Bellinger's market value at $22.5 million per season.

The New York Post's Jon Heyman also named the Yankees, Giants and Cubs as leading bidders for Bellinger earlier this week.

Each team has reason to shell out big money for a hitter who recorded a .881 OPS through 130 games in what looked like a bounce-back campaign from inconsistent stretches that left former MVP Bellinger non-tendered by the Dodgers in 2022.

The Yankees and Giants were two of the most ineffective teams at the plate in 2023, with their team batting averages higher only than the nosediving Oakland Athletics. After batting a collective .227 in 2023, the Yankees are "investigating the top of the hitting market" this offseason, according to Heyman.

Both clubs are also reportedly interested in free agent Shohei Ohtani, so their interest in Bellinger could depend on how close they are to snagging the Los Angeles Angels' two-way star.

The Cubs, meanwhile, want Bellinger back after his bounce-back campaign helped the club reach the right side of .500 for the first time since 2020.

One point potentially in the Cubs' favor is that the team on Monday extended Bellinger a qualifying offer, meaning any other club singing him will forfeit a draft pick to Chicago.

There is also always the possibility another team could enter the bidding race. After the Dodgers declined holding onto Bellinger through arbitration last winter, he reportedly received interest from the Colorado Rockies and Toronto Blue Jays as well as the Giants and Yankees. Heyman noted Tuesday that there are "many, many teams in on" Bellinger.