Entering the final weeks of the MLB regular season, the Chicago Cubs sit decidedly on the outside looking in at the National League playoff race.
More than 20 games below .500, the Cubs have already turned their attention to the offseason and how they might improve their club. According to ESPN Chicago’s David Kaplan, the Cubs plan to spend this offseason with two All-Stars reportedly piquing their interest. During his daily Cubs recap on YouTube Tuesday evening, Kaplan said the Cubs plan to pursue Los Angeles Dodgers OF Trea Turner and San Francisco Giants SP Carlos Rodon this offseason.
“Trea Turner, definitely interested in the Cubs. Definitely,” Kaplan said. “And the Cubs? Mutually interested in Trea Turner.
“[Rodon] loved pitching in Chicago, knows that the Cubs are a team with players coming out of the system. They need a top-of-the-rotation arm.”
Turner earned his second-career All-Star nod this summer with the Dodgers. The 29-year-old is batting .305/.350/.488 with 20 home runs and a career-high 96 RBI in 140 games for LA.
An All-Star for a second consecutive season, Rodon has gone 12-8 with a 2.93 ERA in 28 starts for the Giants this season. The 29-year-old spent the first seven seasons of his MLB career with the Chicago White Sox before signing with the Giants last offseason.
While the two soon-to-be free agents will likely have plenty of suitors this offseason, Kaplan believes both players are high on the Cubs’ list of targets.
“This team is going to spend, I’m being told, for sure,” Kaplan said. “And those are two of the guys they’re targeting.”
