These 2 crazy Cubs-Astros trades would flip the offseason on its head

Houston Astros General Manager Dana Brown stirred the rumor mill on Monday when he told the media that he would hear offers on any of his players, making the Chicago Cubs an instant name that comes to mind.

The Cubs have been heavily involved in this year's trade market, with rumblings of potential deals with the Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, and Atlanta Braves swirling on the internet. The Astros could be great trade partners with Chicago since the latter has multiple high-end prospects to deal if Houston is willing to part with one of its star players.

Here are some potential deals that would rock the baseball world and benefit both teams.

Cubs receive: OF Kyle Tucker

Astros receive: OF/1B Cody Bellinger, IF Matt Shaw (Cubs no. 1) OF Owen Caissie (Cubs no. 2), RHP Javier Assad

This is a steep price to pay for the Cubs but keep in mind they are receiving one of the best hitters in the league in return. Think of a lighter version of the Juan Soto trade from the Padres to the Yankees.

Tucker has it all. He hits for power (career .870 OPS), plays solid defense, steals bases and drives in runs. He is a superstar-caliber player who would give the Cubs lineup the elite bat it badly needs. Clearly, a contract extension for Tucker is the only way this makes sense for the Cubs in the long run because he is currently only under team control through the 2025 season.

Tucker could share right field/DH with Seiya Suzuki, while the rest of the Cubs offense would remain virtually the same. In this scenario, Chicago would likely keep Nico Hoerner since Shaw is seen as his would-be replacement at second base. The Cubs would also keep James Triantos as infield depth in the minors as insurance should Hoerner or Dansby Swanson get hurt. On the flip side, Shaw could slot in as a replacement for Alex Bregman at third base since he learned to play the position this past year. Shaw can also serve as depth at the infield spots up the middle.

The Astros lineup would also receive a short-term solution at first base via Bellinger, who can also play all three outfield spots. Caissie has emerged as a hard-hitting lefty bat who can play adequate defense. He is unproven in the majors yet, but he should be just fine in a lineup alongside veterans like Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve, and Yainer Diaz.

Assad is a valuable piece of the Cubs' pitching staff, but he is honestly expendable. Especially if the Cubs add another starting pitcher who has big-league experience. Even if they do not trade or sign a starter, the Cubs would still have Jordan Wicks, Hayden Wesneski, and Caleb Kilian as starting depth. Cade Horton and Ben Brown will likely be under inning limitations due to their injuries in 2024, but they are also starting pitching options of the future.