1 rumored trade candidate the Cubs and Jed Hoyer need to avoid at all costs

With less than two weeks until Christmas, the Chicago Cubs still have a major need at the top of a deep starting rotation. They're hardly the only team with a long to-do list with two-ish months until pitchers and catchers report, but a quiet Winter Meetings have baseball fans itching for some moves.

A new report from ESPN's Alden Gonzalez offers a potential solution to that problem: prying right-hander Tyler Glasnow away from the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are reportedly open to listening on the 32-year-old. His contract will scare away some prospective suitors ($32.5 million in 2026, 2027 and a $30 million club option for 2028 that, if declined, coverts to a $21.5 million player option) - but his upside, as has always been the case, could intrigue a club in need of a big arm.

"... But the quality of his stuff continues to tantalize executives throughout the industry, and there are certainly a fair share of teams that will bank on him staying healthy enough to make it worthwhile. Maybe he's part of the package that brings Tarik Skubal to L.A. It's a long shot, perhaps, but wilder things have happened."

Injuries have kept Glasnow from ever reaching his full potential. He earned his first career All-Star selection in 2024, his first year with the Dodgers, making 22 starts with a 2.90 FIP, but even then, he didn't pitch after early August with an elbow issue. This year, he was limited to only 18 starts and 90 1/3 innings, this time with shoulder inflammation.

Tyler Glasnow is too high-risk for the ever-cautious Cubs front office

The Cubs won't push their chips in on someone like Glasnow, who has never shown the ability to stay healthy over the course of 162 games, let alone deep into a potential postseason run. Their longstanding aversion to high-dollar, long-term deals with starting pitchers runs opposite to what a trade like this would take, even if it's just three years.

You can assume the Dodgers would eat some money to facilitate a trade, but that's all hypothetical at this point. As Gonzalez points out, LA 'would not be opposed' to moving him - but that's hardly them making a concerted effort to get him out of town and off the books.

Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez, Michael King and Tatsuya Imai headline the list of available free agent starters and numerous trade candidates remain available including MacKenzie Gore, Edward Cabrera and Joe Ryan, among others. There's still plenty of time for Hoyer to get his guy - but I can't envision a scenario where said guy is Tyler Glasnow.