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The Rundown: Big Offseason Decisions Coming, Steele’s Rehab Going Well, Blue Jays Force ALCS Game 7

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterOctober 20, 2025

The Blue Jays and Mariners will play a winner-take-all game this evening in Toronto, with one team advancing to the World Series to play the Dodgers and the other sliding straight into baseball’s hot stove season. I’d love to see Seattle advance, though I don’t know if either team can get past Los Angeles, which seem destined to repeat. Regardless, I, like many Cub fans, am anxious to get the offseason underway.

We must, however, be careful of what we wish for. The procedural part of officially ending the 2025 season will kick off a strangely volatile offseason. Jed Hoyer will have five days to extend a qualifying offer to Kyle Tucker, which is the first step in Tucker’s journey to a fat bank account and greener pastures elsewhere, probably with the Dodgers. Tucker is as good as gone, and Hoyer effectively said as much last week.

“Obviously now, we’re sort of into free agency, and we’ll be talking to [his agent] and we’ll be having those conversations.” the executive said. “Like I said a bunch of times during this season, everyone can use a guy like Tucker. Everyone gets better by having a player like that…Kyle earned the right to not only be a free agent, but to be a coveted free agent.

“I think that, clearly, Kyle had a huge impact on our offense this year. So if he’s not here, that’s a void, and we’ve got to figure out how to replace that. But there’s a lot of different ways to do that. So I think that will be the focus.”

So there you have it, and Hoyer will decide whether he will try to replace Tucker from within the organization or by competing in free agency for someone like Alex Bregman or Cody Bellinger. A lot of bloggers have already anointed Owen Caissie as Tucker’s successor, but Caissie and Moisés Ballesteros are also the team’s best trade chips, and the Cubs need at least one more dependable starter. Each of Chicago’s NL Central opponents have signaled that their aces are available, but it’s hard to imagine the Brewers trading Freddy Peralta to the Cubs. The same could be said of Mitch Keller, Hunter Greene, and Sonny Gray. Front offices in Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis will undoubtedly ask for Cade Horton, which one would assume is a non-starter for Hoyer and his entourage.

The Cubs may need two starters if Shōta Imanaga is allowed to leave via free agency. Though that seems unlikely, his unique contract offers multiple options on both sides that may ultimately spill like a tableful of dominoes right into free agency. My gut tells me that Hoyer prefers and is fully prepared to put the onus on Imanaga by declining the team’s three-year, $57 million option because it carries a full no-trade clause. If I were advising the beloved pitcher, I’d tell him to reject his player option and play chicken, forcing Hoyer to give him the $22.025 million qualifying offer or let him walk away for nothing.

Qualifying offers are due November 6 if the World Series goes seven games. They’d be due as early as November 2 if one team sweeps, so we’ll know how it all played out in 2-3 weeks. The rest of the winter schedule includes the non-tender deadline (Nov. 21), which is the final day of the Owners Meetings. The Winter Meetings in Orlando, FL begin December 8. Chicago’s 2026 roster will hopefully be in place by the time pitchers and catchers report in 113 days.

Cubs News & Notes

Ball Four

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Central Intelligence

Playoff News & Notes

The Blue Jays staved off elimination with their 6-2 victory over the Mariners on Sunday night, forcing a decisive Game 7 in the American League Championship Series.

The Mariners are eager for the challenge of beating the Blue Jays on the road in a win-or-walk game.

Shohei Ohtani was named the MVP of the NLCS, though he entered Game 4 hitting .103 in his seven previous contests.

The Dodgers are making a tremendous profit on the $700 million salary deferment proposed by Ohtani.

Monday Stove

No potential new manager is more in demand than Albert Pujols. The Padres are the latest team to make a push for the retired slugger, joining the Angels and Orioles.

The Angels and Pujols are moving on from each other according to the latest reports.

Pujols may have made a wise decision. The Angels boasted four of the top 50 batters who struck out the most in 2025. Mike Trout heads that list with 178 punchouts, followed by Taylor Ward (175), Jo Adell (151), and Zach Neto (149). Logan O’Hoppe just missed the top 50 with 139 strikeouts.

Former Mariners catcher Jesús Montero passed away over the weekend after a horrific motorcycle crash.

A new Netflix documentary digs into the demise of the Montreal Expos and who was ultimately responsible. I haven’t watched it yet, but I’m banking on Jerry Reinsdorf being involved.

Hall of Fame sportswriter Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News hosted an excellent and insightful Q&A this morning. I promise it is well worth 10 minutes of your time.

Apropos of Nothing

The Cubs-Brewers rivalry has become the best in baseball, in my opinion. Old-timers will still point to the Cardinals or Mets, but those legacy rivalries tailed off in 2015 and 1994, respectively. Milwaukee is now Chicago’s most annoying opponent, and the heat between the two fanbases is palpable.

Son of Apropos

I don’t think Imanaga will be with the Cubs next year, but perhaps I am overthinking it. Hoyer may balk at giving him a QO. I would if I was running the team. Perhaps Imanaga’s injury never fully healed and the front office hid it, because that’s just what they do. Even so, I cannot escape the foreboding notion that Imanaga has pitched his last game as a Cub.

Extra Innings

I hope Hoyer and Tom Ricketts find these types of moments addicting. The Cubs have the best fanbase in baseball, and in the postseason, it’s also the loudest.

They Said It

  • “When the ball is not in play is better than when it’s in play, by definition. You’re always looking for stuff and strikeouts. We’ll continue to push that. But I think the combination of our pitching infrastructure and a combination of our defense, I think we can get the most out of a lot of pitchers because I do feel like we make plays and I think that that shows up almost every night.” – Hoyer
  • “We need to constantly raise our level and get to that point where we can do that year in and year out. We have a really good foundation to build from. We just need to continue to focus on making good decisions and building from that foundation.” – Hoyer

Monday Walk-Up Song

Do we trust Jed enough to just let him cook?

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterOctober 20, 2025
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