August Trades Preview

Every year the trade deadline comes and goes and teams still have players that they want to add or drop. The Cubs are no exception. In order for a team to trade a player in August, teams must put in waiver claims and then negotiate. If the player’s current team doesn’t like what the claiming team is offering then they simply pull him back off of waivers and no trade will happen. The claiming team always takes a risk by putting in a claim because the player’s current team has the option of just letting go of the claimed player. In this case, the claiming team will have to pay all of the contract and no trade happens. It is just a simple waiver claim.

The Cubs have some interesting August deals that could come to fruition. With Jeff Baker already being traded, I don’t think the Cubs are done. There is a good chance that some of the pre-deadline rumors might actually happen after the deadline. For example, Alfonso Soriano may find a new home. If the Cubs were close to trading him before the deadline, then it is not farfetched to think they can find a taker after. The Cubs have been trying to move Soriano for some time now and he is not getting any younger. Maybe the Cubs can find a team in desperate need of a hitter, pay most of his contract and get a decent prospect in return.

Next would be Carlos Marmol. He is another player with a massive contract that the Cubs would have to absorb most of. He can be of use to any team making a push for the playoffs. You can never have too much bullpen pitching. His walks and lack of control will be an issue, but maybe not as big of an issue as his contract. Again, the Cubs would have to pick up a lot of it.

Darwin Barney’s name has come up quite a few times this year, but I don’t see him moving before the offseason, if at all. Teams typically can’t get full value for their players in August because they are only allowed to negotiate with the team that put in the claim. The Cubs were having a hard time getting a fair deal for Barney before, so he most likely stays.

There are a number of other players that still could move: Joe Mather, James Russell, Luis Valbuenas, David Dejesus, and even maybe Matt Garza. Garza seems like a very longshot, but if the Diamondbacks put in the claim, then that might change.

The Cubs have a new wave of youth coming up with Brett Jackson and Josh Vitters. They can make roster space by dealing some of these veterans and then they will also get a couple of prospects to help the future.