3 ways the Chicago Cubs can reinvest the savings from trading Cody Bellinger

Cody Bellinger has been traded to the New York Yankees, leaving the Chicago Cubs with more payroll flexibility to improve the roster.

According to a report from Bleacher Nation's Michael Cerami, the Cubs will likely have an estimated $40 million to work on further roster additions. This leaves them with about $10 million for mid-season additions to keep themselves under the luxury tax threshold, which the team typically likes to stay under.

This money can be spread around to a few different areas to give the team a better chance to make the postseason. After sending a sizable package to the Astros for one year of Kyle Tucker's services, making the postseason in 2025 seems to be the number 1 priority for President Jed Hoyer. Here are some ways the Cubs can use their money to help make that goal a reality.

1. Add another starting pitcher

Another starter seems to be on the wishlist for the Cubs right now. Matthew Boyd is an improvement over Kyle Hendricks, but another solid MLB arm would help the team lock down more innings and push guys like Javier Assad and Jordan Wicks down on the depth chart. It's not like those two are incapable of being in the rotation, but the best teams in baseball boast a lot of starting pitching depth given the amount of arm injuries these days. Pushing Wicks, Assad and Cody Poteet into depth/swing man roles puts the team in a better position to make up for potential injuries in the middle of the season.

Walker Buehler and Jack Flaherty seem like realistic free-agent targets. Flaherty would give the rotation a different look as a right-hander with high strikeout numbers. The 29-year-old is coming off his best season in years and could be looking for as much as $25 million a year, possibly putting him out of the Cubs' price range. If they can get the price closer to $20 million annually, I could see the front office going after him.

Buehler's contract is harder to project. At 30 years old, the former Dodgers pitcher hasn't seen consistent MLB success since the 2021 season, where he tossed 207 2/3 innings with a stellar 2.47 ERA. Injuries and an elbow reconstruction surgery resulted in Buehler missing the entire 2023 season. He returned in 2024 to lackluster results, posting a 5.38 ERA (5.54 FIP) in 16 starts. It's hard to tell if Buehler can be the former version of himself again, so signing him for any price would be a gamble.

Trading for an arm has also been heavily rumored this offseason and insider Bruce Levine hinted at a potential deal where the Cubs would land Miami Marlins southpaw Jesus Luzardo. The Seattle Mariners are also reportedly talking with teams about their rotation pieces, but a potential deal with the Cubs would involve Chicago sending out even more top prospects.

If the Cubs operated like some other big market teams, they would be making a move to sign former Brewers ace Corbin Burnes. With Max Fried, Nathan Eovaldi and Blake Snell off the board, Burnes is by far the best starting pitcher available. Unfortunately, the Cubs simply are not interested in signing big contracts like Burnes' projected $245 million deal.