Cubs Closing In On Chris Davis?

Ever since the Cubs announced their 40 man roster, Luke and Myself have felt that a trade was looming. Once the Cubs decided to bring back Koyie Hill, the idea of a trade being close looked more and more like a reality. As with the addition of Hill, the Cubs have four catchers on their major league roster. Those four are Geovany Soto, Koyie Hill, Wellington Castillo, and Robinson Chirinos. I can understand that the Cubs would want to protect both Castillo and Chirinos, but I do not understand why they would bring back Hill.

Because, both Castillo and Chirinos appear to be on the verge of being major league ready. Meaning the logical thing for the Cubs to do, would have been to non-tender Hill and save some money by going with Castillo as the primary backup to Soto. Since the Cubs brought back Hill, you would have to think that they are on the verge of trading Castillo or Chirinos. I would tend to believe that Castillo will be traded, as the Cubs front office is not high on him at all. According to Bleacher Nation, a source says the Cubs are “very close” to pulling the trigger on a trade that would bring them First Baseman Chris Davis of the Texas Rangers.

How does this relate to the Cubs wealth of catchers on the 40 man roster, you ask. Well, the Texas Rangers farm system is lacking quality catchers, and the Rangers are looking to improve the depth of their catching position. The Rangers also are very impressed with both Wellington Castillo and Robinson Chirinos. Which works out for the Cubs since they need a new first baseman, and Chris Davis of Rangers is blocked by Mitch Moreland. So, it appears that the Cubs and Rangers are on the verge of playing let’s make a deal, and the Cubs will send either Castillo or Chirinos along with Cash or other compensation to the Rangers for Chris Davis.

Davis, is your stereotypical power hitter. Granted he will hit for a lot of power, but along with the impressive power numbers comes and overwhelming amount of strikeouts. Davis had a combined 38 home runs in his first two seasons with 238 strikeouts. However, if the Cubs were to acquire Davis, that would not preclude them from going after Lance Berkman, or Carlos Pena. As, Davis would be a valuable asset to have on the bench, as he is capable of playing both first and third base.

To be honest, this potential deal makes all the sense in the world for the Chicago Cubs. Because with Geovany Soto appearing to be locked in as the Cubs starting catcher for the foreseeable future, both Chirinos and Castillo have blocked paths with the Cubs. Which is why they would benefit from a move to Texas, and Davis would benefit from a move to the Cubs.

I’m sure we will hear more about this potential trade as we get closer to the Winter Meetings, which start next Monday.