Although we believe Jed Hoyer when he says the Cubs’ focus this offseason will be on the pitching side of the ledger, there is still a Kyle Tucker-sized hole in the lineup to address. And while we’ve discussed a few free agents who might be able to help supplement a solid, youthful foundation (Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, Kyle Schwarber), there aren’t many perfect fits when you factor in position and expected price.
The trade market isn’t exactly an ideal answer either, but as it turns out, there are some surprisngly available position players worth keeping in mind.
Earlier this morning, Brett got this conversation started with Angels outfielder Jo Adell, who was brought up initially by Bruce Levine on Marquee Sports Network. But he’s not the only such player whose availability has emerged as news from the GM Meetings this week in Las Vegas.
Three other big-name position players have recently found their way onto the rumor mill, and if you believe the (unexpected) rumor that the Cubs are interested in adding a corner outfielder, then Adell, plus these three reportedly available stars could make some sense: Byron Buxton (Twins CF), Ketel Marte (Diamondbacks 2B, with some outfield in his past), Fernando Tatis Jr. (Padres right fielder, Platinum Glove award stealer).
Byron Buxton, OF (Twins)
The Twins have been waiting YEARS for Byron Buxton to be as healthy as he was in 2025. So it figures they’d start to consider trading him immediately after he posted his healthiest (126 games, 542 PAs) and most productive season on record (136 wRC+, 35 HRs, 24 SBs, 5.0 WAR). But here we are.
The Twins, you may recall, began a significant roster teardown this past deadline and figure to continue breaking apart their team this offseason. We’ve got our eyes on starters Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez. But according to Dan Hayes (The Athletic), Buxton could be on the move, too:
But a major-league source indicated Tuesday that Buxton, who turns 32 next month, wants to play for a winner and may reconsider his stance for certain clubs if the Twins continue breaking up their roster, potentially by trading starting pitchers Joe Ryan or Pablo López. The two-time All-Star center fielder has three years and $45 million remaining on his current deal, one which grants him full no-trade protection through next season, and the ability to block trades to five clubs in 2027 and 2028.
Buxton is a center fielder by trade, but he’s not Pete Crow-Armstrong, so he’d have to fit into left or right field if the Cubs were going to make it work (though he does DESTROY left-handed pitching, so maybe he could also spell Ian Happ or PCA for certain matchups). In any case, maybe a corner spot would be easier on his body and help keep him on the field more often throughout the year (he could also DH, with Suzuki playing right, as needed). We do know the Cubs (under Jed Hoyer) like to field a defensively sound team, and Buxton in right field would be an upgrade for the Cubs.
Good luck agreeing on a value with the Twins, though. Buxton isn’t making too much money and is coming off a career year, but he’s one of the most famously injury-prone players in the game and is entering his age-32 season. I’m just not sure how you agree on what that should cost to acquire.
But, hey, I won’t stop you from dreaming of a Joe Ryan-Byron Buxton combo package, which would be extremely painful in capital, but very fun to imagine.
© Bill Streicher-Imagn ImagesKetel Marte, 2B (Diamondbacks)
At the New York Post, Jon Heyman reports that “the Diamondbacks are fielding offers on superstar 2B Ketel Marte….” And at The Athletic, Ken Rosenthal said something similar: Yes, the Arizona Diamondbacks are more open-minded to trading second baseman Ketel Marte than in the past, according to sources briefed on their thinking
Diamondbacks EVP and GM Mike Hazen pushed back on that idea in an interview with Jon Morosi, but … shrug. It’s clearly out there.
"It's mostly unlikely for that stuff to happen."– D-backs EVP & GM Mike Hazen on trading their star players like Ketel MarteMLB Network + @SageUSAmerica pic.twitter.com/2I5maLUzrU
— MLB Now (@MLBNow) November 11, 2025Part of the thinking on timing, Rosenthal writes, is that Marte will achieve his 10-5 no-trade rights this April (any player who reaches ten years of service time, five consecutive with the same club, gets no-trade rights). So if they don’t deal him now, they might not get a better chance to do it.
And that goes double, given his brilliant three-season breakout:
2023: .276/.358/.485 (126 wRC+); 25 HRs, 4.3 WAR 2024: .292/.372/.560 (152 wRC+); 36 HRs, 6.3 WAR 2025: .283/.376/.517 (145 wRC+); 28 HRs, 4.6 WAROf course, Marte just signed an extension with Arizona last spring, which, while reasonable in total cost ($115M), does come with another five years PLUS a player option for 2031. That’s a looooong time for a 32-year-old. It’s also pretty unevenly paced, with less money due in 2026 ($15M) and 2027 ($12M) than the latter three seasons before the player option. You’d probably just have to bank on the first few seasons carrying all the value.
And while Marte does have some prior experience in the outfield, that was mostly many years ago. So, unless you’re thinking he could move from second to third, it’s a little more difficult to imagine.
Then again, pretty much every positional addition is difficult to imagine, with Cubs regulars at literally every single spot around the diamond:
LF – HappCF – PCARF – Suzuki/Caissie1B – Busch2B – Nico3B – ShawSS – SwansonC – Kelly/AmayaDH – Suzuki/Ballesteros
But you’ve got to do something, so it might be time to get creative. Speaking of which, here comes the wildest, least believable, but most fun to imagine bit of creativity.
Allan Henry-USA TODAY SportsFernando Tatis Jr., OF (Padres)
At USA Today, Bob Nightengale included Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. among his list of players “on the MLB trade block.” And then nearly doubled down when pressed about it on Foul Territory (albeit with a caveat):
"When you talk to general managers, they say the Padres are in big-time trouble. They're losing money."Considering the amount of backloaded contracts the Padres have, could Fernando Tatis Jr. be on the move?@BNightengale won't rule it out in the future… pic.twitter.com/w0UMxPsiQM
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) November 11, 2025Nightengale concedes that the Padres don’t WANT to deal Tatis, but he cites rival executives who echo what we all know to be true: The Padres have been spending WAY outside their means for years. And at some point, the shoe is probably going to drop. The question, however, is when?
If it’s this offseason, and if it’s in exchange for Fernando Tatis Jr., you can expect the return to feature significant dollar savings as well as multiple starting pitchers. Both Ken Rosenthal (The Athletic) and Kevin Acee (The San Diego Union-Tribune) have talked about the Padres’ significant rotation needs after losing starters Michael King (free agency), Dylan Cease (free agency), and Yu Darvish (surgery) for one reason or another.
So maybe, if you want to get crazy, you can maybe imagine something built around (among some other big value) the Cubs’ young starters (or pitching prospects) like Jaxon Wiggins, Javier Assad, Ben Brown, Jordan Wicks, Brandon Birdsell, etc.
But even if you assume the Padres stay crazy and actually get serious about dealing Tatis, Jed Hoyer is basically the antithesis of AJ Preller. And it takes two to tango.
Plus, the Padres did some significant backloading in Tatis’ massive 14-year, $338.25M contract. And that just doesn’t strike me as something the Cubs will be eager to take on.
2021:$1M2022:$5M2023:$7M2024:$11M2025:$20M2026:$20M2027:$25M2028:$25M29-34:$36M annually
Of course, Tatis, 26, would very easily beat a nine-year, $286M deal on the free agent market right now, so there is value to be had. He also plays high-quality outfield defense and is coming off a very good year overall: .268/.368/.446 (131 wRC+). Though he’s never quite looked like the guy he was early in his career … you know, before he was busted and suspended for steroids.
But talk about fun. He’s one of the few true superstars of the game, the type you can bank on to sell tickets and jerseys.
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