The Chicago Cubs added Kyle Tucker in a big trade last offseason, but they’re likely to lose him in free agency this winter. Tucker is projected to sign for around $400 million, while the Cubs have never given out a contract of more than $200 million.
As a result, the Cubs likely are going to need to pivot to their backup plan. They could look to spend their money to add other stars. They could also dive into the trade market to add to the roster.
Just Baseball’s Joey Peterson recently predicted the Cubs would trade for Minnesota Twins ace Joe Ryan this offseason, likely as part of a backup plan with Tucker in free agency.
“Joe Ryan would immediately slide in as the ace of this staff and would be the perfect compliment to the other arms around him in the rotation,” Peterson wrote. “Despite rumors that the Twins do not anticipate trading Ryan, here’s why the Cubs should still be in pursuit.
“Ryan, who was an All-Star for the first time in 2025, is coming off arguably the best year of his career at 29 years old. Matching his career high in fWAR at 3.1, Ryan posted a career-low 3.42 ERA to go with the second-highest K/9 of his career at 10.21.”
This is a very important offseason for the Cubs. They need to bolster their roster without breaking the bank as they’re set to lose Tucker.
Adding Ryan would cost a lot of prospect capital, but it wouldn’t crush their payroll. The Cubs could trade a few top prospects for Ryan while saving enough money to target a star like Alex Bregman in free agency. Ryan was at his best last season and looks to be getting better as time goes by.
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