Cubs Rumors: Jed Hoyer plans on using Cody Bellinger savings to add more pitching

Judging this week's Cody Bellinger trade, at this point, is premature. Sure, you can think the Chicago Cubs are a better team with him than without him, but the jury is still out on the move - because it all comes down to what Jed Hoyer and the front office do with the roughly $25 million in savings on the 2025 payroll.

Chicago kicked in $2.5 million in 2025 and the same amount in 2026, leaving the New York Yankees on the hook for virtually all of what's left on the three-year, $80 million deal Bellinger signed with the Cubs late last offseason. Of course, there's always the chance he plays well in the Bronx and opts out at season's end, but as we learned this fall, you can't count on that happening.

All signs point to rookie Matt Shaw getting the chance to win the third base job out of camp. Michael Busch is sticking at first, with Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson up the middle. In the outfield, it'll be Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker, left to right, and whether he likes it or not, Seiya Suzuki looks like he'll get most of his at-bats as the everyday DH.

Cubs planning on continuing to add arms the rest of the winter

So what will the Cubs do with the savings from the Bellinger salary dump? Invest in arms. Hoyer is looking to help safe uard against not only the injuries that continue to decimate big-league pitching staffs year after year,but also against an expected regression from his team's arms after Wrigley Field played uncharacteristically friendly to pitchers in 2024.

“It’s just a place where you can’t get caught without depth, quality,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters, including The Athletic this week. “You have to have it.”

The rotation could still see changes, even after the team brought in Matthew Boyd on a two-year, $29 million deal. The Cubs had reportedly been close to a deal with Miami Marlins southpaw Jesus Luzardo, but those talks hit a wall this week, potentially over concerns with his medicals. But that won't be the last name Chicago's connected to between now and Opening Day.

The Cubs continue to be a logical landing spot for a number of late-inning relievers, including Kirby Yates, AJ Minter and Kyle Finnegan, among others. If the Cubs can revamp the pitching staff and have contingency plans in place when things don't go as planned, it could help Craig Counsell navigate the course of a 162-game grind and, hopefully, raise the floor for a team that hasn't won more than 83 games in a season since 2019 or won a postseason game since 2017.