With the moves that the Chicago Cubs made this offseason, it’s become clear that the 2025 season is being viewed as a season where they are pushing their chips to the middle of the table.

Beyond the fact that MLB is heading straight toward a work stoppage for the 2027 season, the Cubs’ best player, Kyle Tucker, becomes a free agent after this season. Given how the Cubs have gone out of their way to avoid long-term deals, there is no reason to believe that Tucker will remain with the team beyond this season.

Following another offseason where the Cubs have also avoided the top of the free-agent market, the team will enter the offseason nearly $30MM under luxury tax threshold. If the Cubs are contenders by the time the Major League Baseball Trade Deadline rolls around, there is reason to believe they will be aggressive in adding to their roster.

Along those lines, the Cubs need to root for the Toronto Blue Jays to be bad this season. If the Blue Jays are sellers ahead of the trade deadline, they could be the team that controls the movement. Among the Blue Jays’ players who will be free agents after this season are Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Bo Bichette, Max Scherzer, Chris Bassitt, and Chad Green. In a world where the Blue Jays are out of contention by July, all of those players could find themselves on the trade market.

The Cubs should be keeping an eye on the Toronto Blue Jays this season

Of course, Guerrero is the superstar of that list. There is very little reason to believe the Cubs will be involved in his bidding next offseason but if the team is in need of offense at the deadline, he could be the name they circle for their push for the postseason. Ditto for Bichette, who could be an option depending on the development of Matt Shaw during the season.

Of course, adding Scherzer to the top of their rotation for the final two months of the season may be a dream come true for the Cubs. Prior to Scherzer signing with the Blue Jays, the Cubs were among the teams that scouted his pitching showcase during the offseason.