Chicago Cubs Named Landing Spot for New York Yankees Ace in Offseason

The Chicago Cubs face an important offseason, and landing this right-hander would be the perfect outcome.

Aug 4, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) points toward home plate during the second inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Cubs will have an opportunity to improve their roster in the offseason. With multiple high-level players who could potentially be on the market, there are many ways for them to build a contending team.

The Cubs could sign players in free agency or trade for them. Whatever decisions they make, they have to be the right ones. After a few years of disappointment, including 2024, arguably the most frustrating campaign in recent memory, something has to change.

How can Chicago do that?

The answer is simple. They need to spend money.

Sure, spending money doesn't guarantee anything, as many teams have found out in the past, but the teams that spend are often in a better position than the Cubs currently are.

Corbin Burnes should be a target, but there might be another pitcher even better in the American League East who could become available.

New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole can hit the open market if he opts out of his contract. The Yankees can trigger a club option, which would add $36 million and a year to his nine-year contract.

In the event that they both opt-out and decide to part ways, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report listed landing spots for the right-hander. He listed Chicago at No. 6.

"The Cubs have a big option of their own to worry about, with Cody Bellinger likely to opt in for at least one more year at $27.5 million. If that happens, they'll already be at nearly $140 million for 2025 just in their seven known contract figures. But they could swing big to get Cole and perhaps pay a little luxury-tax penalty in both 2025 and 2026 before the reckoning that is coming during the 2026-27 offseason, when all of Bellinger, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Jameson Taillon, Nico Hoerner and Mike Tauchman are scheduled to hit free agency."

A right-handed arm would be of big help to the Cubs rotation. While their rotation has two elite pitchers, they're both left-handers.

Adding arguably the best right-handed pitcher in baseball would help solve some of those issues.

It seems unlikely that Cole won't return to the Bronx in 2025, but it's a possibility. If he doesn't, the Windy City would welcome him with open arms.

A two-time Cy Young Award winner, if Chicago makes other moves on top of adding him, they'd likely be the favorites in the NL Central.