Jed Hoyer needs to make this blockbuster trade sooner rather than later

Michael Urakami/GettyImagesWith Tatsuya Imai heading to Houston and the holidays behind us, the starting pitching market could start heating up soon. Framber Valdez headlines the free-agent crop of arms but the trade market seems like the most likely route for Jed Hoyer and the Chicago Cubs to bolster their rotation.

Why? Chicago sits around $35 million shy of the first CBT threshold - a mark the team has more or less used as a soft salary cap in recent years. That doesn't even mean Hoyer has that money to spend this winter, because the club likes to leave a little wiggle room for in-season additions. Valdez, by some estimates, could command $30 million annually in his next deal - which…