Jed Hoyer’s next big swing may not come from free agency at all.
With the market now open and the Cubs staring at a month of roster-building before the lockout after December 1, Chicago’s front office has plenty to juggle. The rotation is still the loudest problem on the board, and the current picture is thin enough to make the Cubs look vulnerable if they don’t find help. Right now, the group is leaning on Justin Steele, Ben Brown, and Edward Cabrera, which leaves plenty of room for reinforcements.
That’s why the trade market matters so much, and why the Seattle Mariners keep popping back up as a possible partner. After missing the postseason this year, Seattle is expected to make real changes under Jerry Dipoto.
In ESPN’s early offseason conversation, Buster Olney and Jesse Rogers both pointed to the Mariners as a team likely to be “reshaping” its roster. Olney also said he’s hearing early chatter that Seattle could deal from its surplus of starting pitching to bring in a bat.
That kind of move would put the Cubs right back in the conversation. Seattle already opened up room for its homegrown starters after moving Luis Castillo to the White Sox, and the arrival of top prospect Kade Anderson has created another path to trade from that depth. If the Mariners decide to shop one of their younger arms, Chicago should be in the mix.
The names to watch are George Kirby and Emerson Hancock. Both came up at the trade deadline in Cubs discussions, though the asking price was too steep to seriously bite then.
Hancock is the more affordable-looking option on paper, and he just put together a breakout year with a 3.57 ERA and 4.00 FIP over 138 2/3 innings. He’s under team control through 2030, which makes him especially appealing.
Kirby is the bigger upside play. He’s controlled through 2028 and has the higher ceiling, even after a 2026 season that included a 4.33 ERA and 3.90 FIP.
The year before that, he looked like one of the best young starters in the sport, logging more than 190 innings in back-to-back seasons starting in 2023 and posting a 3.44 ERA and 3.30 FIP. That kind of profile would play immediately in a Cubs rotation that badly needs certainty.
But Kirby isn’t exactly cruising right now. His fastball, once a real weapon, slipped in 2026, even as it averaged a career-high 96.8 mph.
Hitters did more damage against it too, with his batting average against jumping from .188 to .251 and his slugging against rising from .341 to .425. His whiff rate also fell to 23.4%.
Even with those questions, both Kirby and Hancock fit the kind of conversation Chicago needs to be having.
There’s also a broader reason the Cubs and Mariners keep coming up together: the pieces line up. Chicago doesn’t have the same level of near-MLB position-player depth it once did, but it could still move one of Matt Shaw or Pedro Ramirez if that’s what it takes to land pitching.
Shaw, in particular, could interest Seattle because he can move around the diamond. Brendan Donovan is penciled in at third base for the Mariners, but he’s already shown he can handle multiple spots, and Shaw could also fit into one of Seattle’s open corner outfield jobs.
Shaw’s 2026 season wasn’t perfect. A left hand injury cost him two months, and he still hasn’t fully tapped into his offensive ceiling. Even so, he hit .237/.327/.410 and finished with a 106 wRC+, which is above average and enough to make him a real trade chip.
The Cubs would likely prefer to deal Shaw now, especially after the impression Ramirez made on the organization and on Craig Counsell.
Still, free agency is going to dominate the early part of the offseason. Olney noted that a lot of teams may want to wait until there’s more clarity on the next CBA before making trades.
The market itself will also pull attention away from the trade board. But with both clubs under pressure and both sides matching up neatly, it wouldn’t be a shock if the Cubs and Mariners finally found a deal after years of being linked.
In Other News...
Cubs May Finally Have A Bold Answer For Their Ninth-Inning Problem
The Cubs are heading into a winter where the bullpen sits near the top of the shopping list, and the timing matters with a December lockout looming. Chicago has been expected to attack both relief help and starting pitching, and one name that has started to surface in that conversation is Adrin Morejn, the left-handed Padres reliever whose recent run and age make him an intriguing fit for a club looking to stabilize the late innings.
Morejn is not a finished deal, but the idea has gained enough traction to stand out because of the kind of contract some around the game think he could command. For the Cubs, the appeal is obvious: a pitcher with closer upside, left-handed balance and enough upside to potentially reshape how the ninth inning looks in Chicago. Whether the front office is willing to go that far is the real question, and it is one that could define how aggressive this offseason becomes. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Outfield Search Is Suddenly Centered On One Crucial Choice
The Phillies are headed into the offseason with a clear need in the outfield, and the market is already taking shape around a few familiar names. Among the free-agent options drawing attention is Ian Happ, whose profile naturally stands out because of his steady production and the kind of left-handed balance a contender can use. Taylor Ward and Tyrone Taylor are also in the mix as Philadelphia weighs both upside and fit while trying to patch a spot that has not held up well enough.
Happ, in particular, gives the Phillies a decision point that goes beyond simple need. He brings a track record that makes him easy to picture in a lineup built to win now, but any pursuit will come down to how aggressively Philadelphia wants to shop at the top of the market versus spreading its resources around the roster. No moves have been made yet, which leaves the club with options and a lot of room for the conversation to keep evolving. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Saw Something In Former Astros Coach Fans Should Notice
The Mariners made a notable change after the 2026 season, moving on from Dan Wilson and turning to Jason Kanzler to lead the club beginning in 2027. For Cubs fans, Kanzler is a familiar name from his time as Chicagos director of player development, and Seattles decision says plenty about the kind of manager the organization believes can shape its next era.
Kanzler also brings a background as a former outfielder and a coach with the Astros, which helps explain why Seattle saw him as more than just another candidate. Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto pointed to Kanzlers intelligence, intensity, creativity and ability to develop young players as traits that can help build a championship standard, a profile that should resonate with anyone who watched his work in Chicago. [Read more 🡒]