Chicago Cubs: Get ready for all sorts of trade rumors

The offseason has begun and rumors have already made their way to the public, making Chicago Cubs fans uneasy. This is likely to be a theme this offseason.

Over the past few offseasons the goal for the Chicago Cubs was to add to their existing core which Theo Epstein built from the ground up. After two straight years of zero playoff wins and disappointing results from top-to-bottom, the situation is very different this year.

The front office itself is in a tough situation. This is a team they built with hopes of contending for years to come that now needs a decently sized shakeup that balances both short and long-term goals. As most fans know, the team has a lot of money invested into the current roster with what seems like minimal flexibility for spending while lacking organizational depth.

In order for change to happen there will have to be trades that involve players on the big league club considering the fact they lack farm assets and seek financial flexibility. Long story short, the Cubs will need to get very creative to make significant changes. It will likely require a popular name or two being traded in the coming months.

Because the front office has already made it clear that everything is on the table, rumors like the one involving Willson Contreras from Jeff Passan over the weekend will be something fans will be seeing more of than ever. Even if they are untrue and pure speculation, this is the current state of the team and rumors like these should come as less of a surprise.