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.

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…

Original source: https://www.cbssports.com/