Kyle Tucker departure sets off wild ripple effect for Cubs offseason

Jed Hoyer confirming that pitching will be the priority for the Chicago Cubs this offseason was far from the biggest surprise at the MLB GM meetings this week, but there does appear to be a genuine shift in Hoyer's approach to the offseason. Hoyer made it a point to suggest that the Cubs will be checking in on the name at the top of the market, but also confirmed that the Cubs won't be shying away from players who received a qualifying offer.

The Athletic's Sahadav Sharma touched on the shift in approach for Hoyer. As Sharma points out, this would be the offseason for the Cubs to be willing to sign a qualifying-offer reject. The Cubs will have around $100MM to spend this winter, and with Kyle Tucker and Shota Imanaga also having a qualifying offer, the Cubs also stand to gain draft compensation if either of those two signs elsewhere. A scenario that is far more likely for Tucker than it is for Imanaga.

Being that the Cubs were under the luxury tax in 2025, the penalty for signing a player with a qualifying offer attached to their profile would be the team's second-highest draft pick and $500,000 from their international bonus pool.

A need for caution, the message from the Chicago Cubs at the GM meetings has hints of optimism.

We've been down this road before. There have been years in the past when the expectation was for the Cubs to be aggressive, and the team only came away with Daniel Descalso as their primary offseason upgrade. That said, the tone from Sharma would suggest that, reading between the lines, there is an expectation that the Cubs will follow through on their promises this offseason. It could be setting the stage for disappointment, but it beats where the Cubs were at this time last winter--ruling out interest in Juan Soto at the start of his free agency.

Two names mentioned by Sharma are Framber Valdez and Dylan Cease. Each has qualifying offers attached and is at the top of this offseason's free-agent class for starting pitchers. Between the two, Cease should be the more attractive option for the Cubs. Cease is two years younger than Valdez and is the power pitcher that the Cubs have lacked at the top of their rotation.

Actions will determine if Hoyer and the Cubs are ready to turn the page from their "intelligent spending era", but at the very least, they have set the stage for an encouraging offseason.