Jeff Passan throws cold water on Cubs trade hopes ahead of Winter Meetings

The trade market is where the Chicago Cubs are expected to be living this offseason, considering they likely want to avoid the rising prices for free-agent starting pitchers and relief pitchers. While the North Siders acted swiftly to sign Phil Maton to a multi-year deal, Dylan Cease's deal with the Toronto Blue Jays and Devin Williams' three-year pact with the New York Mets may push Hoyer and Co. out of the free agency market.

Ahead of the Winter Meetings next week, ESPN's Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel offer an update on the trade market. They list 25 players who could get moved this offseason, adding the odds of a deal actually getting completed.

Considering the Cubs are in the middle of a contention window, it's no surprise that they don't have anyone listed as a trade chip. What is a surprise, however, is that the Cubs don't get a mention as a possible fit for any of the players mentioned.

Cubs snubbed as a fit for several high-profile names who could be moved this offseason, including MacKenzie Gore and Joe Ryan.

The list includes several players that the Cubs have been connected to over the past year. Minnesota Twins' starting pitchers Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez, Nationals' ace MacKenzie Gore, and Miami Marlins' starters Edward Cabrera and Sandy Alcantara. As recently as this past trade deadline, the Cubs were linked to all of those pitchers, so it's curious that neither ESPN insider seems them as a fit for them this offseason.

It's possible that it is a reaction to how the Cubs conducted themselves at the deadline. The team was not willing to trade from a group that included Matt Shaw, Owen Caissie, Moises Ballesteros, and Cade Horton to land a cost-controlled starting pitcher. Considering Shaw and Horton were key pieces down the stretch of the Cubs' playoff run, it made sense why they scoffed at trade interest in the young third baseman and starting pitcher, and likely will have the same reservations this offseason.

But if the Cubs aren't willing to move Caissie or Ballesteros, mainly because they view them as the primary replacements for Kyle Tucker's impact next season, it's hard to find a scenario where they can land a cost-controlled ace via the trade market. Especially when they already have reservations about trading top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins.

The Cubs seem to be at a crossroads already this offseason. Rumored targets are quickly being taken off the board, and outside of Maton, Chicago hasn't shown a sense of urgency to alter their stubborn approach. As they say, always the bridesmaid, never the bride.