Cubs linked to Yankees superstar in possible blockbuster signing

The Chicago Cubs will be an interesting team to watch when free agency kicks off this winter.

Chicago has some great pieces and is just one or two pieces away from competing for a playoff spot next season and possibly even making a deep run. The Cubs could use another frontline starter -- like every other team in Major League Baseball -- and it will be a deep free-agent class this winter.

The class could get even deeper with New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole expected to opt out of his deal. The Yankees could keep him around by just adding one more year at the end of his contract, but if they decide against that, he could enter free agency.

If Cole somehow becomes a free agent, Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller listed the Cubs as the sixth-most likely landing spot for him.

"The Cubs have a big option of their own to worry about, with Cody Bellinger likely to opt in for at least one more year at $27.5 million," Miller said. "If that happens, they'll already be at nearly $140 million for 2025 just in their seven known contract figures. But they could swing big to get Cole and perhaps pay a little luxury-tax penalty in both 2025 and 2026 before the reckoning that is coming during the 2026-27 offseason, when all of Bellinger, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Jameson Taillon, Nico Hoerner, and Mike Tauchman are scheduled to hit free agency."

If the Yankees somehow let Cole go, he immediately would be one of the best players available in free agency. Right now, the top two expected free agents are Juan Soto and Corbin Burnes. Adding Cole to the mix could make free agency a whole lot more exciting.

More MLB: Cubs could snatch Phillies All-Star pitcher this winter to bolster bullpen