MLB rumors: Why the Cubs may already be out on Tarik Skubal, plus latest on Phillies, Cardinals, more

The uncertain 2026-27 Major League Baseball offseason is fully underway. The ongoing CBA negotiations and the near certainty of an owner-implemented lockout on Dec. 2 loom over all, and it may indeed mean a flurry of trades and free agent signings leading up to that date. That was certainly the case leading up to the last lockout of 2021-22.

Thanks to that prospect of a hastened pace, offseason rumors are already flowing. Speaking of which, we'll be here each day to round up what's out there. You can find Monday's supply just below.

GM meetings could spark trades and signings

The expectation remains that we'll see some level of activity on the trade and free agency fronts before the lockout begins in early December. As noted above, that was indeed the case leading up to the last lockout, and this time around, the prospect of drastic changes in the next CBA may have big-spending teams looking to fortify their rosters before those changes are implemented. Speaking of which, MLB Network reports that we could see some notable transactions go down at the upcoming General Managers Meetings, which take place from Nov. 10-12 in Las Vegas.

During a standard offseason, not much beyond behind-the-scenes groundwork goes down during the GM Meetings, and the real moves start happening at the December Winter Meetings. However, unless the lockout is resolved quickly – highly unlikely – then there probably won't be a Winter Meetings this offseason. That means the GM Meetings could be more active than usual.

Cubs not expected to be strong Skubal bidders

Free agent ace and, until later this week, reigning back-to-back American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal is the prize of the offseason. The 29-year-old lefty is a fit for any of MLB's 30 teams, but heretofore the most serious bidders have been expected to be the Los Angeles Dodgers (who acquired Skubal from the Detroit Tigers leading up to last season's trade deadline), the New York Mets, and the Chicago Cubs. Now, though, perhaps you can reduce that number of serious bidders to two. While Chicago very much needs rotation help for 2027 and beyond, the Athletic reports that the Cubs "are expected to stay on the sidelines" when the Skubal bidding gets serious. That, no doubt, will come as a disappointment to Cubs fans who are still waiting for the Ricketts to invest in the payroll at levels befitting a big-market contender.

Cardinals interested in Romero reunion

The Cardinals traded away veteran lefty reliever JoJo Romero, along with starter and fellow free agent Dustin May, to the Milwaukee Brewers leading up to the trade deadline. Now, St. Louis may be interested in bringing Romero back on a free agent contract, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Romero, 30, is coming off a 2026 season in which he pitched to a 3.36 ERA with a 3.00 K/BB ratio in 55 appearances. In the postseason with Milwaukee, Romero had a 1.13 ERA with 11 strikeouts and one walk in eight innings. He previously spent parts of five seasons with the Cardinals.

Phillies considering Ha-Seong Kim as shortstop backup plan