Chicago Cubs Rumors: Tyler Glasnow trade appears likely

The Chicago Cubs have a need at the top of their starting rotation but it would seem unlikely that the team will swim in the deep end of available free-agent starting pitchers.

The point that was driven home by Cubs' chairman Tom Ricketts when he sent out an address to season ticket holders last month was the faith that he has in the team's ability to develop starting pitchers and alluded to the emergence of Justin Steele along with prospects Jordan Wicks, Ben Brown, and Cade Horton.

It seemed to be an indication that the Cubs would not be spending heavily on starting pitchers this off-season. The good news for the Cubs is that there is a starting pitcher available on the trade market that would not only fit at the top of their rotation but also for the philosophy in terms of spending on starting pitching.

Prior speculation has suggested that the Tampa Bays would look to move starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow as he is set to earn $25MM in the final year of his contract but Jon Morosi of MLB Network provided a more direct answer regarding Glasnow's future on Tuesday.

This has the feel of a Christopher Morel trade all over it. The idea is that the Cubs trade a power-hitting utility player under team control until 2029 for an ace-caliber starting pitcher in Glasnow. Considering the Cubs were initially preparing to pay starting pitcher Marcus Stroman $21MM for the 2024 season, there wouldn't be much of a recalculation needed to take on Glasnow and the remaining money on the final year of his deal.

The Cubs have long had an interest in acquiring Glasnow and it would seem this off-season may provide the team with a real opportunity to land the starting pitcher.

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