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Cubs News: Justin Verlander wins Cy Young, Contreras motive, and more
No pitcher on the Chicago Cubs pitching staff last season received National League Cy Young Award votes as the team was forced to watch the award ceremony from the sidelines as Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara took home the award for the first time in his career. An interesting note on Alcantara is that he once was considered a top prospect in the St. Louis Cardinals organization before the team moved him in a trade after the 2017 season with the Miami Marlins for outfielder Marcel Ozuna.
2017 was also a pivotal year in the career of the 2022 American League Cy Young Award winner, Justin Verlander. That was the season when Verlander was moved by the Detroit Tigers in an August trade with the Houston Astros. Verlander and the 2017 Major League Baseball trade deadline will always be a time period that the Cubs' should regret.
When it became clear that Verlander was going to be traded by the Tigers during the 2017 season, the team worked with the perennial Cy Young award candidate to make sure that he was dealt to a team of his choosing. Verlander, via 10-5 rights, had the right to veto any trade he was involved in. Verlander was hoping to be dealt to the Cubs but the team had a different priority at the 2017 trade deadline and it has proved to be a regret for the front office. The 2017 deadline was the deadline at which the Cubs' changed the course of their long-term future as they moved top outfielder prospect Eloy Jimenez and top pitching prospect Dylan Cease to the Chicago White Sox for starting pitcher Jose Quintana.
Quintana never blossomed into the top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher the Cubs were hoping he would be given the transition to the National League, meanwhile, Verlander remains one of the best starting pitchers in Major League Baseball and Cease finished second behind the Astros' ace in American League Cy Young Award voting.
More Cubs News
Willson Conteras spoke with NBC Sports Chicago regarding his feelings as he embarks on his free-agent journey. Conteras did admit that he was hurt by the Cubs' decision to not extend him to a long-term deal and there is a motive for him to prove to the Cubs that they were wrong. Contreras' preference to prove the Cubs wrong could be the reason he signs with the St. Louis Cardinals this offseason.
The Cubs 40-man roster currently stands at 38 ahead of the non-tender deadline on Friday so there likely will be a flurry of moves over the course of the next 48 hours. That is also when the Cubs will know for certain if centerfield target Cody Bellinger will reach free agency this offseason.
MLB News
The New York Yankees and New York Mets are currently being investigated by Major League Baseball for potential violations of the Collective Bargaining Agreement due to conversations that were had about Yankees' free agent outfielder Aaron Judge.
Wednesday saw the first MLB trade of significance this offseason as the Toronto Blue Jays traded All-Star outfielder Teoscar Hernandez to the Seattle Mariners for reliever Erik Swanson and pitching prospect Adam Macko. Ian Happ is now a name that the Blue Jays may look at to fill their need in the outfield.