Cubs Have Checked In On Bo Bichette

Despite being considered favorites to land Japanese star Tatsuya Imai in free agency, the Cubs did not land him after all. The right-hander officially signed a multi-year deal with the Houston Astros on Thursday afternoon. 

But there could be a bigger plan in place for the Cubs this offseason. 

Landing Imai likely would have prevented them from going after other top free agents. Considering the Japanese native received $21 million per season from the Astros, there was simply no room to sign an impactful bat.  

With Imai now off the board, the Cubs appear to be in the market to add a big-time bat to their lineup. We all know that they are interested in Alex Bregman and remain involved in the Bregman sweepstakes at this point. 

However, another big-time free agent has been linked to Chicago. 

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Cubs have checked in on infielder Bo Bichette. Heyman also wrote that the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers have also checked in on the two-time All-Star.

This is the first time the North Siders have been linked to Bichette this offseason. He would obviously be a big-time get by the front office after putting up strong all-around numbers in his most recent season in 2025. 

The 27-year-old batted .311 at the plate with 18 home runs, 44 doubles, and 94 RBI across 139 games in 2025. He also finished that season with a 3.5 WAR, which is the same WAR that Bregman finished with last year. 

Therefore, getting Bichette would really elevate that Cubs offense. He has hit over .300 in two of the past three seasons and has finished as a top-16 American League MVP candidate in four of the last five years. 

However, Bichette doesn’t make much sense for the Cubs unless he moves to third base or the team trades away Nico Hoerner. Although Hoerner has been thrown around in trade rumors this offseason, it would be quite shocking to see the front office part ways with arguably their most valuable player from last year.  

So, it’s hard to envision Bichette landing in the Windy City. 

He is a primary shortstop who also has experience playing second base. Those two positions are currently occupied by Dansby Swanson (shortstop) and Hoerner (second base) heading into the 2026 season. 

Bichette is also set to land a massive contract this offseason that could reach over $160 million. Spotrac actually has the former Blue Jays shortstop signing an eight-year, $186 million contract this winter. 

That potential contract, mixed with his primary fielding position, makes it more of a long shot for the Cubs to sign Bichette. It all comes down to whether Chicago trusts him enough to move him to third base or if the front office decides to trade away Hoerner.