Cubs Linked to Walker Buehler, Shane Bieber Generating Serious Interest

The Cubs are prioritizing pitching this offseason, with Max Fried being mentioned most often as a good fit. The only problem is that he’s going to cost them a lot more than his presumed nine-figure contract because the Braves extended him a qualifying offer. Signing a QO player doesn’t seem to fit Jed Hoyer’s philosophy in general, but they’ll surely wait until they know what’s happening with Roki Sasaki before even entertaining the notion. Two other possibilities are Walker Buehler and Shane Bieber, both of whom have also been connected to the Cubs.

Jon Morosi recently named them as being interested in Buehler, though the Braves have an even greater need for starters and may be more…