Chicago Cubs Still Expected To Make Major Trade, Seattle Mariners Most Likely Partner

The trade market seems to be the most likely route for the Chicago Cubs to take this offseason to make a major move, and the Seattle Mariners continue to be seen as a potential partner.

Aug 24, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Chicago Cubs president Jed Hoyer looks on at the batting cage before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Things are starting to heat up around Major League Baseball with one of the rumored Chicago Cubs targets, Blake Snell, coming off the board after he signed his megadeal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The two-time Cy Young winner was reportedly someone the Cubs called about this past trade deadline, so when he opted out of his contract with the San Francisco Giants, there was presumed to be some interest.

However, Chicago never seemed to really be searching for top-of-the-market starting pitchers despite their clear desire to land another starter.

That doesn't mean they won't continue to search, though.

If the Cubs choose to go with the free agency route to get something done, they seemingly will scour the third or fourth tier.

What is more likely to happen is they make a trade.

"Team sources still feel the trade market might be the route the Cubs go to upgrade their rotation, with the Seattle Mariners mentioned as a potential match," report Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic.

That potential partnership is something that's been floated since the General Managers Meetings when Jed Hoyer was seen talking with Seattle Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto.

Chicago has plenty of intriguing assets other teams around the league would covet, especially a Mariners organization who is looking to upgrade their offensive profile.

Cody Bellinger is someone the Cubs are reportedly aggressively shopping, but they haven't had any takers on a potential deal which could complicate things for the front office going forward.

Nico Hoerner will continue to be an interesting name.

While he's not an elite offensive producer, he's right around the league average in OPS+ and wRC+ and would bring Gold Glove-winning defense to any infield he joins.

Would he be enough to pry away one of Seattle's top young arms?

Probably not, so Chicago would also have to part with one of their better prospects to get something done if that's the direction they want to take when looking to add a starting pitcher.

This will remain something to monitor.

The Cubs aren't projected to be major spenders in the free agency market, likely using their financial resources to add more depth to their roster and organization as a whole while searching for trades to land the high-profile addition that could help them become a contender.