MLB Insider Shockingly Reveals Cubs Called to Inquire About Giants Ace

It seems like the Chicago Cubs were angling to make a huge splash at the trade deadline based on this report from an MLB insider.

Apr 8, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Blake Snell (7) walks onto the field before the game against the Washington Nationals at Oracle Park / Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

Speculation was swirling about what the Chicago Cubs might do ahead of the trade deadline.

Because they are virtually out of the NL Central race and are a longshot to get into the playoffs through the Wild Card, normal consensus would indicate they'd start shipping out their best pieces in a sellers' market that brought back massive returns for those who pulled the plug on their seasons.

This is something Jed Hoyer has done in the past, waiving the white flag to get back future assets.

But instead of doing that, the Cubs were aggressively looking to find pieces who could help them in 2025 and beyond. That resulted in them taking a chance on a former top prospect and bringing in All-Star Isaac Paredes to be their third baseman of the future.

However, it sounds like the front office was looking for a massive blockbuster deal, too.

According to MLB insider Jon Heyman during an appearance on "B/R Walk-Off," Chicago was one of the six teams who reached out to the San Francisco Giants regarding the availability of Blake Snell, apparently seeing what it would cost to make a deal for the star left-hander.

That is shocking.

Not only would it have taken a lot of prospect capital to pry him away from the Giants, but he would have likely been a half-year rental because of his ability to opt-out of his deal and hit the open market after the season.

If the Cubs were in contention for a playoff spot, this report would make more sense.

Unfortunately, that is not the case as they find themselves still six games under .500 and 6.5 out of the final Wild Card spot even after their dominant showing on Wednesday.

Making a move for Snell doesn't make sense.

If they wanted to have the reigning NL Cy Young winner on their roster, they could have aggressively pursued him in as a free agent this past offseason since they had ample time to negotiate and put together an offer that acquired his services.

It's not like San Francisco made him a Godfather offer when they landed him on a two-year, $62 million contract.

This information from Heyman, if accurate, certainly makes their deadline strategy more head-scratching, especially considering Chicago's ownership has long been rumored to prefer staying under the luxury tax threshold.

That's one of the reasons why they didn't pursue Snell in the first place.

If the superstar starter decides to opt-out of his deal and hit the open market, it will be interesting to see if the Cubs decide to go after him.