Offseason
- December 9, 1980: Bruce Sutter was traded by the Cubs to the St. Louis Cardinals for Leon Durham, Ken Reitz, and a player to be named later. The Cardinals completed the deal by sending Tye Waller to the Cubs on December 22.
- December 12, 1980: Jerry Martin, Jesús Figueroa and a player to be named later was traded by the Cubs to the San Francisco Giants for Joe Strain and Philip Nastu. The Cubs completed the deal by sending Mike Turgeon (minors) to the Giants on August 11, 1981.
- February 26, 1981: George Riley was released by the Cubs.
- March 28, 1981: Dennis Lamp was traded by the Cubs to the Chicago White Sox for Ken Kravec.
Read more about this topic: 1981 Chicago Cubs Season