Jordan Wicks

Wicks, 25, will not open the season in the rotation but instead get work in Triple-A with Iowa. Morgan also was sent down to the PCL, and he could be an up-and-down option for the Cubs whenever the team needs an extra reliever.

It remains to be seen if the deal gets finalized, but it appears to be close. Lynn isn't a bad choice to fill out an MLB rotation since he registered a 3.84 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and a 109/44 K/BB ratio over 117 1/3 innings in 23 starts with the Cardinals in 2024. He will certainly not be ready for Opening Day if the Cubs sign him two weeks before the season starts, but he could push Colin Rea or Jordan Wicks for the fifth spot in the rotation by the end of April.

Wicks allowed three hits, walked none and struck out two. A sleeper last spring, Wicks wound up missing much of the year with injuries and failing to meet expectations when healthy. That'd led to minimal expectations this time around, but the Javier Assad injury has put him back into the mix for a rotation spot and he has a 2.08 ERA this spring. He still might go to Triple-A initially, but he's worth keeping an eye on.