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The Rundown: Cubs Segue into Hot Stove Season, Hoyer Delivers End-of-Season Analysis, Dodgers & Mariners Up 2-0 in LCS

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“A time to build up, a time to break down; a time to dance, a time to mourn. A time to cast away stones; a time to gather stones together.” – Turn Turn, Turn by The Byrds

The Cubs were eliminated by the Brewers in a close series, dissed on enemy turf after the game, and now have a huge Kyle Tucker decision on their hands. We’re about three weeks from the start of hot stove season, when the Tucker issue will resolve itself, but the Cubs have other holes to fill and some tough decisions to make.

  1. Jed Hoyer is going to have to once again rebuild his bullpen. Cubs relievers are about as disposable as soiled diapers every November, and there’s always a pile of fresh linens available at cut-rate prices that Hoyer can sift through. Brad Keller, Caleb Thielbar, Drew Pomeranz, Taylor Rogers, Aaron Civale, and Ryan Brasier are all free agents, and all except Keller and Civale are 34 or older. Michael Soroka is also a free agent. The Cubs have no impact relievers in their farm system, but don’t expect Hoyer to spend a lot of money on the bullpen. He will, however, enter this year’s offseason flea market with his trusty sidekick, the ever-expanding wide net.
  2. Four players are in their option years, and at least two have probably played their last game as a Cub. Shōta Imanaga has a uniquely structured contract that allows the Cubs to opt in to a three-year, $57 million extension. If they decline, Imanaga gets a $15 million player option and a chess game ensues. Andrew Kittredge has a $9 million club option and Justin Turner has a $10 million mutual option. Neither should be expected back. Colin Rea has a $6 million player option and could do better on the open market, but probably not by much. Hoyer would probably love it if Rea exercises his option to stay.
  3. The Cubs are in need of at least one starter, and bench depth is another box that needs to be checked. Cade Horton will enjoy a full season in Chicago next year, and Jameson Taillon and Matthew Boyd are also returning. Justin Steele is not expected to be ready by the start of the 2026 season. Hoyer could make a splash here depending on Rea’s decision. Daniel Palencia will anchor the bullpen with a new supporting cast.
  4. The Cubs are not expected to retain Tucker, who already sounds like a player with one foot out the door. Owen Caissie will take over barring a trade or free agent acquisition.
  5. Hoyer could consider an upgrade at third base. Matt Shaw is still growing into the position and Willi Castro is a pending free agent. Shaw looked lost at the plate in the playoffs, but so did Pete Crow-Armstrong. Chalk it up as a learning experience for both. That said, it would be nice if Hoyer could find a super utility player in the mold of Ben Zobrist (.783 career OPS, 116 wRC+). Zobrist was a one-of-a-kind player, but Wilmer Flores (.745, 104) is a free agent and could be a decent facsimile. He had a down year after a very strong start and can play all infield positions.
  6. Expect the Cubs to be linked to a number of high-profile free agents and trade candidates. As always, particularly with Hoyer at the helm, smoke is rarely an indication that a fire exists. Still, expect free agents Alex Bregman, Cody Bellinger, Kyle Schwarber, Pete Alonso, Dylan Cease, Michael King, Framber Valdez, Zac Gallen, and Merrill Kelly to find their way into your hometown speculation feed. Flores, Lane Thomas, and Amed Rosario are a few others. The same can be said of trade candidates Joe Kelly, Pablo López, MacKenzie Gore, Sandy Alcántara, Edward Cabrera, and Mitch Keller. Hoyer won’t spend a lot on his bullpen, and even if he wanted to, Devin Williams, Raisel Iglesias, Ryan Helsley, Emilio Pagán, and Kenley Jansen will get offers that exceed the executive’s level of comfort. Edwin Díaz and Robert Suárez have opt-out clauses and could join that group.

In other words, we could be looking at another milquetoast offseason, especially with a work stoppage looming and Hoyer’s desire for clean books following the 2026 season. The Cubs are about an 85-win team without Tucker and 4-6 weeks or longer without Steele. That means improvements on the margins and not much else while counting on players to exceed their projections if the goal is to win 90 games. As far as blockbusters are concerned, Gore and Keller check several boxes, but their asking prices will be high. I also wouldn’t mind seeing Hoyer find a creative way to acquire Adley Rutschman. Other trade candidates to consider include Pete Fairbanks, Brandon Lowe, and Bailey Ober.

Cubs News & Notes

Ball Four

The umpires got this one right when nobody in the stadium or those watching on TV knew what the hell was going on.


Central Intelligence

Playoff News & Notes

The Dodgers are heading home with a 2-0 NLCS lead after beating the Brewers 5-1 on Tuesday night.


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Yoshinobu Yamamoto tossed the first postseason complete game in eight years in last night’s win.

Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández refuses to stay at Milwaukee’s haunted Pfister Hotel. I have brunch there just about every Sunday.

The Blue Jays also dropped two at home and will travel to Seattle hoping to avoid a sweep in the ALCS. Toronto will send Shane Bieber to the mound tonight, and he’ll be opposed by George Kirby.

Jorge Polanco has the Mariners on the brink of a Hollywood ending.

Humpy the Salmon broke a 167-game losing streak in Seattle’s 15-inning Game 5 win against the Tigers in the ALDS. Bill Veeck would be proud.

MLB’s postseason television ratings are at a 15-year high.

Wednesday Stove

Bregman announced that he is opting out of his Red Sox contract.

Several players are carrying personal or mutual options into the offseason. Bellinger and Alonso have also added their names to this year’s free agent pool.

Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have been banned from participating in the Dominican Winter League amid the league’s gambling probe.

MLB Insider Héctor Gómez says the evidence against Clase is irrefutable and that the Guardians’ closer is facing a lifetime ban.

Will Brick, the No. 1 catcher in the 2027 amateur draft, has reclassified to be eligible in 2026.

The Phillies could attempt to trade for Lowe as a replacement for Schwarber.

Extra Innings

Despite injuries and some inconsistency, I’d love to see Taillon retire as a Cub.

Apropos of Nothing

The Cubs get their first crack at avenging the Brewers on May 18, 2026 at Wrigley Field.

They Said It

  • “We’ll see what happens. I don’t know what the future’s going to hold. But if not, it was an honor playing with all these guys. And I wish everyone the best of luck, whether it’s playing [together] next year or not. It’s a really fun group to be a part of.” – Tucker
  • “It’s kind of one big family. Everyone’s here to support each other, whether it’s getting better on the field or off the field. Everyone was hanging out. We’re not just here to show up and work. We’re hanging out, outside the field, and becoming close. I don’t know if there’s many teams that are like that or not. But this team definitely built a lot of relationships.” – Tucker
  • “I think it’s the five games we played at Wrigley Field in the playoffs kind of tells you what means so much to it. “It meant so much to our players to do that, to provide that for our fans. And that’s what you do: You honor the uniform; you honor the place. That’s like not the results goal, but that’s always like what our job is to do, is to do those two things. And we did that. We didn’t get it done today, and that hurts. Man, it doesn’t feel good, but I think when you zoom back a little bit, we did some good things as well.” – Counsell

Wednesday Walk-Up Song

Offseason trade rumors and speculation have a numbing effect on reality. Distilling fact from fiction is often folly, at best.


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