Tampa Bay Rays' Tyler Glasnow likely to join Los Angeles Dodgers, a significant loss for the Cubs

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow figured to be of interest to the team that signed Shohei Ohtani given the fact that Ohtani won't be pitching during the 2024 season while Glasnow is a free agent after the season.

It's why the Chicago Cubs were likely pursuing a Glasnow trade in alignment with their interest in Ohtani. As we know, Ohtani is now a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the next 10 years and it would seem that Glasnow will be joining him this season.

Once the Dodgers officially signed Ohtani, there was an expectation that they would shift their focus to the starting rotation with Glasnow being among their trade targets. That would be in direct conflict with the Cubs considering they have been talking with the Rays regarding a possible Glasnow trade since the week before the Winter Meetings.

Unfortunately, with the Cubs likely not willing to part with pitching prospects Ben Brown or Cade Horton for one season of Glasnow, there was not going to be an offer that they could have made that would have beat the Dodgers' inclusion of Ryan Pepiot.

Pepiot was the 6th best prospect in the Dodgers organization to start the 2023 season and posted a 2.14 ERA in 42 innings pitched at the Major League level. With the Rays interested in acquiring a Major League-ready starting pitcher, Pepiot was a near-perfect target.

Assuming the deal between the Dodgers and Rays is indeed finalized, this would be a significant loss for the Cubs. Glasnow was the exact type of pitcher that the team needed at the top of their rotation. Glasnow's ability to miss bats would have been an ideal compliment to a Cubs' rotation that leans heavily on generating weak contact.

Where do the Cubs go now?

One of the goals this off-season for the Cubs was to add two starting pitchers to their rotation. Jordan Montgomery and Shota Imanaga are two names that the team has been linked to. Neither would be a true ace in the Cubs' rotation but would provide stability,

On the trade market, Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Guardians remains of interest to the Cubs. Bieber is no longer the ace that he once was but would fit with the Cubs' run-prevention philosophy.

If there is a silver lining to the Cubs missing out on Glasnow, it's that the Cincinnati Reds did as well. The Reds were believed to be involved in trade talks for Glasnow as well.

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