MLB Trade Rumors suggests Jed Hoyer is leaving his free agency options open

It's been years since the Chicago Cubs faced this level of roster turnover. Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ are both free agents and the pitching staff is facing a major overhaul after Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes, Colin Rea and David Peterson all hit the open market.

There may be a reunion or two in that group, but there's little doubt the 2027 Cubs will have a lot of new faces. MLB Trade Rumors' top 50 free agents roundup includes predictions for each player from the site's three-man panel of experts and if there's one message fans can take from it, it's that Jed Hoyer will be connected to just about every available free agent starting pitching this winter.

The Cubs received votes for Trevor Rogers, Freddy Peralta, Adrian Morejon, Sonny Gray, Clay Holmes and Peterson. It's worth noting they received more than one vote on just two of those pitchers: Morejon and Peterson. Morejon, who has been a reliever for several years now, could be shifted into the rotation similar to what the Mets did with Holmes in 2025, and a Peterson reunion makes sense for everyone involved given how well he pitched after joining the Cubs in June.

Cubs, Jed Hoyer have a lot of work to do, but very little time to do it

The takeaway is clear: Hoyer is well aware of his team's needs, but isn't going to box himself in on one specific target in an all-or-nothing approach. He's going to be open to both trades and free agent signings this winter as he looks to reshape a pitching staff that suffered countless injuries this season.

There's subtle smoke connecting the Cubs to Tarik Skubal, but if his price tag reaches the $400 million mark some believe it will, I'd be shocked if Tom Ricketts signed that check. The sheer volume of arms this team needs may push Hoyer to spread the wealth (by MLBTR predictions, you could sign Peralta, Morejon, Gray, Holmes and Peterson for less than it will cost to sign Skubal).

Front offices around the league, Hoyer and the Cubs included, are on the clock. An owner-instituted lockout is less than a month away. How much can he get done before the sport goes on ice? We're about to find out.

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