The Chicago Cubs should avoid trading a bat for an arm

The Chicago Cubs must fight the temptation of becoming trade happy after a highly successful offseason, as both Javier Baez and Jorge Soler are too valuable to lose at this stage of their careers.

As this year’s offseason inches to an eventual close, Major League Baseball’s hot stove has cooled to a low simmer. While negative wind chills continue to terrorize residents in the Chicago land area, Cubs fans everywhere can’t help but feel warm and cozy inside when thinking about their team’s Winter and justifiably high expectations for the 2016 season.

The latest hot stove action involved Gerardo Parra signing with the Colorado Rockies and, boy, if that doesn’t tickle your fancy as a baseball fan then I don’t know what will.

Actually — yeah, I definitely have something that will. How about Jason Heyward, John Lackey, and Ben Zobrist all joining the Cubs in one offseason? Let’s not stop there, as the once (and still, in my eyes) beloved Starlin Castro was dealt to New York for 28-year-old pitcher Adam Warren.

More from Chicago Cubs News

• Cubs should keep close eye on non-tender candidate Cody Bellinger
• Cubs starting pitching has been thriving on the North Side
• Make no mistake: the Cubs are very much about power hitters
• Cubs: It’s time to start thinking about potential September call-ups
• Cubs: P.J. Higgins deserves to be in the lineup on a daily basis

It gets better, as the Cubs managed to bring back two key pieces of its bullpen from 2015 in a rejuvenated Trevor Cahill and pleasant surprise Clayton Richard. They also added a plethora of bullpen arms that will compete for a roster spot this Spring headed by left-hander Rex Brothers.

After one of the greatest second-half performances of all time, the Cubs entered the Winter with an understanding they would be active in the market for several reasons. One, they were in great shape financially.

Two, the market after this year is shaping to be something straight out of an R.L. Stine story. Finally, and most importantly, this was the front office’s opportunity to strike after four years of staying conservative. All of the moves made did not cripple the foundation Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer and company so expertly laid out.

As a result, the Cubs are favored among many to win the World Series in 2016. How’s that for tickling your fancy?

Taking this discussion further, it was obvious one of Epstein and Hoyer’s main concern entering this offseason was to acquire starting pitching. Despite the additions of Lackey and Warren, the Cubs have been linked to starters Tyson Ross, Carlos Carrasco, and Danny Salazar throughout parts of last season and well into this Winter.

On top of that, there has been chatter the Rays are willing to deal quality arms — whether starters or late inning relievers — for hitting, of which the Cubs have plenty.

Even though trade talks that intensified around the Winter Meetings have somewhat dwindled, the Cubs still manage to be linked in potential deals. For any trade to come to fruition for the Cubs, they will likely have to part ways with Soler and/or Baez. At this particular juncture, there is no need to trade a bat for an arm. A valuable hitter is worth more to a team than a valuable pitcher. Always.

If you look at what the Cubs projected 25-man roster looks like (which you could do here thanks to my colleague Ryan Tadych), you will notice there really are not many holes there. It’s scary to think about, but the Cubs may have managed to construct a baseball superpower.

You could argue that gaining a Carlos Carrasco, Tyson Ross or even a Brad Boxberger would set the Cubs over the top. However, if it comes at the expense of 23-year-old Javier Baez and/or Jorge Soler who will be 24 in February, then count me out.

Age is but a number, however when speaking about the aforementioned Cubs, age and control on top of their talent make them extremely valuable commodities. Soler signed a nine-year, $30 million contract in 2012, which now looks likes a bargain. Baez is under Cubs control through 2021 and is not arbitration eligible for another three seasons.

The once highly touted prospects are just scraping the surface of their young major league careers. Soler is coming off his first full season and managed a .262 average, .723 OPS with 10 home runs and 18 doubles in 101 games. He was one of the Cubs most productive hitters in the playoffs posting a .474/.600/1.105 line with three home runs in 25 plate appearances.

Soler’s injury history is cause for concern, however, Cubs’ manager Joe Maddon is a master at manipulating his roster, allowing the Cuban-born outfielder a break from everyday duties.

As for Javier Baez, he could simply be the Cubs’ best defender. Baez was drafted as a shortstop, but saw time in 2015 at third and second base where he had success. Theo Epstein noted the former top prospect will see time in center field and compared him to a young Ben Zobrist.

Add versatility to Baez’s value, as his impact bat gives him the potential to hit 35-40 doubles and 25 home runs in a year. At this point, those numbers seem far-fetched with a lot of room for Baez’s game to grow.

Coming off a very unusual season in 2015 that included injury and an untimely death to his sister, the current construct of the roster sets the 23-year-old up nicely for a breakout 2016.

The obvious problem for both Soler and Baez are the gaudy strikeout numbers, which, quite frankly, was an issue for every Cubs hitter last season. Luckily, that issue was addressed by the front office with additions of contact savvy players Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist.

Those with concern over the fourth and fifth starters are causing unnecessary stress to themselves. The combination of Jason Hammel, Kyle Hendricks, Adam Warren and possibly even Trevor Cahill will be enough to ride them to the playoffs. If anything, adding a late inning reliever would be the best thing for the Cubs to do, but even in that category they are set to succeed.

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it, and this Cubs team fueled by its core — including Soler and Baez — is a dangerous bunch that can run a train through the National League this season. Stand pat, Theo. This roster is in no need of reshaping.