Cubs Rumors: Andrew Miller close to joining St. Louis Cardinals

Ahead of the holidays, the Hot Stove is heating up. The Cubs rumors are fairly quiet, but several other teams made big moves that could impact Chicago.

It’s been a frustrating offseason for the Chicago Cubs. Long-expected to be an exciting winter headlined by potential pursuits of Bryce Harper or Manny Machado, fans instead have been proverbially punched in the face by story after story shutting down even the quietest Cubs rumors.

First, the debacle of Joe Maddon and his contract status heading into 2019 took center stage. After a deafening silence, the team opted not to extend him as he heads into the final season of his initial five-year deal. Then, inherent payroll implications took center stage – a story that continues to this day.

As the Cubs stand pat with a roster they insist has the talent to make a deep October run, other teams around the league have made notable improvements that could make things more difficult for Maddon and his team.

Earlier this offseason, the division rival St. Louis Cardinals made a big splash, adding Paul Goldschmidt in a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Milwaukee Brewers are still the favorites in the division and the rest of the Central isn’t going to serve as a punching back much longer.

Here’s the latest roundup of deals that directly impact the Cubs – a team that remains quiet heading into the final week of December.