Teams are asking the Cubs about these 2 young pitchers in trade talks

With oft-mentioned Cubs trade target Tyler Glasnow off to join Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers, another potential rotation upgrade is off the board. That, paired with the fact Chicago is no longer involved in the Yoshinobu Yamamoto sweepstakes, has many wondering where, exactly, Jed Hoyer plans on getting another arm to pair with Justin Steele at the top of the rotation.

And it's not just the rotation that needs a boost. At this point, even though Cody Bellinger is still available, you have to look at the roster as its currently constructed - which means Hoyer needs to replace the production he got from the former MVP, while also adding at least one more big bat, probably at first base - a notable position of weakness for the team in 2023.

Cubs could tap into prospect depth to pull off some impact trades

The top of the free agent market is starting to thin a bit - and it sounds like the back half of the offseason could see quite a bit of movement when it comes to trades. According to Ken Rosenthal, the Cubs are no exception to that, either.

In his latest piece over at The Athletic, he singles out a pair of young Cubs pitchers - Hayden Wesneski and Ben Brown - as two guys drawing interest on the trade market, although he adds that Hoyer is not 'necessarily inclined' to move either one.

Rosenthal believes Chicago could tap into the depth of the system to reinforce the big league roster and shore up the team's apparent weaknesses before spring training - noting the only 'untouchables' in the system are Cade Horton, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Matt Shaw. That shouldn't come as too much of a surprise to anyone, really, but it certainly makes you think what the Cubs could get if guys like Kevin Alcantara or Owen Caissie are included in a trade.