Chicago Cubs rumors leading up to the MLB trade deadline suggested the club would be sellers this summer. Instead, Chicago pulled off one of the most surprising MLB trades this year by acquiring All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes. It reportedly might not be the only blockbuster addition the Cubs make.
Entering MLB games today, Chicago is 5 games back of the final Wild Card spot in the National League. The Cubs have been one of the worst MLB teams since May 1, but there have been signs of improvement as of late. With a winning record in July (12-10), Chicago seems to be quite open to making additions to its major-league roster at the MLB trade deadline.
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Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Sunday that the Cubs are one of a handful of teams inquiring about San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Blake Snell. The All-Star and Cy Young Award winner is known to be available and while it’s still unclear if he will be moved at the MLB trade deadline, Chicago is interested in him.
- Blake Snell stats (FanGraphs): 5.10 ERA, 11.52 K/9, 3.97 BB/9, 30% K-rate, .221 batting average allowed, 1.28 WHIP in 47.2 innings pitched
Complicating any potential trade for Snell is his contract. He’s owed less than half of his remaining salary ($23.5 million for this season) and Cubs payroll is already high for a team outside the postseason picture. Making it even more difficult is the uncertainty over whether or not he’ll exercise that $38.5 million player option this offseason.
- Blake Snell contract (Spotrac): $23.5 million salary in 2024, $38.5 million club option for 2025
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Chicago isn’t in a position where it can add significant payroll, especially nearly $40 million in 2025. However, there have been MLB rumors suggesting that Snell will likely opt out of the final year to test MLB free agency again. If that’s true, however, the Cubs would be taking a serious risk at trading for Snell and missing the playoffs.
Ultimately, it remains likely that the Paredes trade is an outlier and the Cubs primarily focus on being sellers at the MLB trade deadline. It’s also possible San Francisco leaked Chicago as an interested team in order to help drive up the price for other teams.
