Potential Cubs trade target Tyler Glasnow has resumed throwing

Last summer, before sending Kris Bryant to the Giants and Craig Kimbrel to the White Sox at the trade deadline, the Cubs and Rays explored some creative possibilities centered around injured right-hander Tyler Glasnow.

Of course, no deal ever came to fruition between Chicago and Tampa Bay – but with Glasnow unlikely to pitch in 2022 while still earning just under $6 million, it’s worth wondering if Jed Hoyer will circle back on the righty once the lockout ends. He won’t offer anything this year, but the Cubs have the payroll flexibility to eat that amount in the short-term with an eye on his return during his final year of control in 2023.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, Glasnow has officially started throwing again for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery – the first step on the road back from the procedure. The former fifth-round pick of the Pirates is working with the goal of returning this season, but as far as the Cubs are concerned, all that matters is an uneventful recovery process.

The Rays notoriously run one of the lowest payrolls in baseball year-in and year-out. So just eating $6 million this year knowing you might not see Glasnow throw a single pitch is a tough pill to swallow. If a team like the Cubs is willing to take on that salary in a deal, Tampa Bay will surely be willing to listen.

Last year, prior to getting shut down, Glasnow was dominant for the AL East champion Rays, making 14 starts and working to a 2.66 ERA. He was the full package, expertly mixing elite spin rates with an overpowering fastball. Baseball Savant graded him out near the top of the league in virtually every category – so it’s pretty easy to understand why a team would be willing to pay that salary in 2022 if Tampa Bay is either unwilling or unable to do so.

We can’t accurately project the Cubs given the incomplete state of the offseason – but it seems safe to say we’ll have some badly-needed answers to the mountain of questions facing the club this time next year, when Glasnow should be back at 100 percent and ready to go.

Pairing Glasnow with Marcus Stroman atop the Cubs’ rotation in 2023 would give Chicago a big-time one-two punch. Throw in Kyle Hendricks and a mix of young arms with upside and a return to the top of the division could quickly be within reach.