Chicago Cubs Will Engage in Juan Soto Trade Discussions

There will be a lot of moving parts surrounding the Chicago Cubs this offseason.

Many of the things that Jed Hoyer and his front office have to do will be reactionary based on the decisions of others.

Despite having a career resurgent year with the Cubs, star slugger Cody Bellinger could go to another team who gives him a massive contract.

Starting pitcher Marcus Stroman could opt-out of his player option and hit free agency.

This would leave Chicago scrambling to replace their production as they find themselves in win-now mode after narrowly missing the playoffs.

One way that Hoyer could be on the offensive is attacking the trade market.

According to Bruce Levine of 670 The Score, the Cubs will be involved with the San Diego Padres this offseason to try and trade for superstar Juan Soto.

Despite being one of the best players in the game, it's widely believed that the Padres would be willing to part ways with Soto who's entering the final year of his contract before hitting free agency.

"What would the Cubs need to give up to get Soto? Numerous opposing teams have asked about 24-year-old utilityman Christopher Morel, who hit 26 homers and posted an .821 OPS in 107 games in 2023. Morel is under team control through 2028 and isn’t arbitration-eligible until the 2026 season. The Padres are high on Morel, sources said," according to Levine.

It's very unlikely that San Diego would be willing to swap Soto for Christopher Morel straight up, so Chicago will likely need to sweeten the deal by adding some of their coveted prospects.

The only way Hoyer would do that is if he's comfortable giving out a massive contract to the 24-year-old superstar after the 2024 season.

It's a possibility.

To re-sign Bellinger, they would have to offer a mega-deal anyway.

Soto is a much better player than Bellinger and would be the cornerstone of this franchise for years to come.