Cubs Insider Names Top Two Trade Candidates If Kyle Tucker Stays in Chicago

The Chicago Cubs have so many talented outfielders, there's probably no way they can keep them all heading into next season.

Chicago is no stranger to outfield trades, as it acquired Kyle Tucker in an offseason blockbuster with the Houston Astros last December and subsequently shipped Cody Bellinger, who was in Tucker's position, to the New York Yankees.

Now that top prospect Owen Caissie has arrived in the majors, though, there's more of a logjam than ever before. If the Cubs can convince Tucker to stay in free agency, they're looking at five extremely talented outfielders for only three spots, plus the designated hitter role, on any given night.

So who could be on the trade block this time around? A Cubs insider has some early thoughts.

On Wednesday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com named Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki as the two logical trade candidates for the Cubs to shop if Tucker indeed signs back in Chicago this winter.

"Let's say the Cubs, hypothetically, do find a way to convince Tucker to stay; that wouldn't necessarily force Caissie to Triple-A Iowa again in '26. It's possible Chicago considers trade scenarios, too," wrote Bastian. "Ian Happ's name has been floated in trade rumors for a few years now to varying degrees and Seiya Suzuki's was mentioned as a trade candidate last winter."

Happ and Suzuki are both heading into the final seasons of their current contracts next year. They're also both slated to make exactly $19 million, so the decision could come down either to who the Cubs want to prioritize, or who other teams seem to want more.

Still, that decision would be contingent on Tucker staying, which the Cubs will obviously try to make a reality, but is far from guaranteed at this point.