Cubs predicted to land a trio of high-profile free agents this offseason

With baseball's GM Meetings underway and the hot stove already simmering, MLB Trade Rumors dropped its annual top 50 free agent predictions - and the Chicago Cubs make regular appearances throughout it.

The Cubs draw passing mention with some of the biggest names available, including Corbin Burnes and Pete Alonso and are loosely connected to some B-list names like Nathan Eovaldi and Sean Manaea. But for our purposes here, we're going to lock in on three names: Max Fried, AJ Minter and Danny Jansen.

Fried, who received a qualifying offer from the Atlanta Braves this week, turns 31 in June and has drawn comparisons to Cubs left-hander Justin Steele in how he attacks opposing hitters. With a pair of top-5 Cy Young finishes under his belt, he'd give the Cubs a formidable trio of southpaws atop the rotation with Steele and Shota Imanaga.

This season, Fried earned the second All-Star selection of his career, making 29 starts for Atlanta and working to a 3.33 FIP across 173 1/3 innings of work. He's limited opponents to a sub-.300 OBP in each of the last five seasons and is an elite ground-ball pitcher, so he could really benefit from guys like Dansby Swanson, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Nico Hoerner playing behind him.

His longtime teammate, left-handed reliever AJ Minter, could be the best left-handed bullpen weapon the Cubs have had in years. Since the start of the 2020 campaign, Minter owns a 2.85 ERA/2.84 FIP across 267 appearances. His home run rate spiked this season, but the 31-year-old avoided major trouble and was a key member of the Braves' pen when healthy.

Those injuries put him on uncertain ground heading into free agency and could help the Cubs get a bit of a bargain on the lefty. We know Jed Hoyer loves a good deal and he could find one here, with Minter looking for that multi-year guarantee coming off a hip issue that ultimately required season-ending surgery.

Last, but certainly not least, we come to Jansen who could be the answer to one of Chicago's biggest questions in the catcher position. Like Minter, though, he comes with some question marks after taking steps in the wrong direction both behind the plate and at it in 2024.

A Miguel Amaya-Danny Jansen tandem would, at least in theory, be a step in the right direction for a Cubs team that needs to buy some time to see if Moises Ballesteros will stick at the position. A two-year deal, which is what MLBTR predicts for him, could work for both sides and raise the floor of a club coming off consecutive 83-win seasons.