The Chicago Cubs have pieces available if they wish to make a big trade

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If need be, the Chicago Cubs have the players on their current roster and in the minor leagues to make any trade they might need.

Going into the 2016 season, it is clear the Chicago Cubs are one of the most complete teams in all of Major League Baseball. On paper, they actually appear to be the team to beat this season, but obviously, things could change.

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The Cubs have a plethora of depth in terms of starting pitchers and position players. In fact, pitchers like Travis Wood, Trevor Cahill, Clayton Richard and Adam Warren all could be starters on other teams as they have experience starting in the past.

In addition to these pitchers, position players like Javier Báez and Jorge Soler will be coming off the bench this season when they could be top players on other teams. Yes, these two will get a lot of playing time, but clearly not as much as they would elsewhere.

If the team is to run into an injury at any position, they should be covered with the roster that they have. However, what happens if the players on the roster are under-performing or if the team needs a mid-season boost?

If either of these scenarios occurs, the Cubs have the pieces in place to make any trade that they might need, even a potential blockbuster deal. Let’s look at potential players who could be on the move.

Javier Baez

Javier Báez is a tremendous talent who the Cubs are not actively looking to deal at this time. However, he is currently blocked at every position that he knows how to play, whether that be any position in the infield or outfield.

If the Cubs decide that he is not getting the playing time that he deserves, they could make the move to trade him for whatever help that they might need for a 2016 playoff run.

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Last season, there were rumors of a possible trade involving Báez to bring in a young starting pitcher. From Tyson Ross of the San Diego Padres to Carlos Carrasco of the Cleveland Indians, Báez’s name was being discussed in possible trades. This season, the team could re-start those talk to acquire a young starting pitcher like Ross or Carrasco.

The team may decide to trade for a young starter, but it also could look for another ace-like pitcher as well. Maybe the front office decides that the rotation needs one more dominant pitcher and trades Báez for a front-line guy to booster the October rotation. A trade like this would most likely require the Cubs to trade more than just Báez, but trades like so always come at a high cost.

As of now, Baez is not going anywhere. However, the front office might have to make a move to help this year’s potential playoff run, and giving up a talent like Báez would be the cost to do so.

Jorge Soler

Right now, Jorge Soler is a platoon outfielder who has a history of not being able to hit well in cold weather. Obviously, Chicago is cold for a large chunk of the season, whether that be in April and May or in October when the playoffs occur.

If Soler gets off to a slow start in 2016, the team could look to trade him, thus clearing up its outfield logjam. Trading Soler would make Kyle Schwarber the primary left fielder, opposed to keeping his bat out of the lineup on days that Soler starts there.

One huge problem that a Soler trade would bring would be the impact it would have in 2017 and beyond. As of now, centerfielder Dexter Fowler is only signed for this season. If the Cubs give up Soler and choose not to re-sign Fowler, they would lose two outfielders who started for them in 2015.

Losing Fowler’s presence as a leadoff hitter would obviously hurt, but losing a young and talented outfielder in Soler would be an even greater loss. At just 24 years old, Soler’s best years are still ahead of him. In fact, the Cubs have not seen a full sample size of him yet, as he has only played in 125 career games over two seasons.

Keeping Soler for this season guarantees the team will have a solid player in place in case Fowler does not return. Also, Soler is under team control through 2020, so trading away his team-friendly contract would not be ideal. Look for him to stay put in Chicago unless the team is blown away by a trade offer.

Dan Vogelbach

Out of any player on this list, Dan Vogelbach is the most likely to be dealt if the Cubs make a trade. Vogelbach, 23, is a 6’0″, 250 pound first baseman known for being a power hitter. Sound familiar? Current Cubs’ first baseman All Star first baseman Anthony Rizzo is 6’3″, 240 pounds and has hit 30 home runs in back-to-back seasons.

Not only is Rizzo a similar and proven version of Vogelbach, he also recently signed a contract extension that is very team friendly. Rizzo signed a 7-year contract extension in 2013 for just $41 million, a bargain deal for the Cubs considering the money that has been thrown around in baseball lately (Giancarlo Stanton was signed to a 13-year, $325 million extension after the 2014 season).

With talks of the National League possibly adding a designated hitter for the 2017 season, it might be worth it for the Cubs to keep Vogelbach in the minor leagues this season to see what happens. However, there are many players on the current roster who could play DH on a daily basis (Schwarber, Soler, Báez) simply to keep their powerful bats in the lineup.

Basically, Vogelbach has no place on the Cubs as long as Rizzo is in town and entrenched at first base. If the National League adds the designated hitter to its rules, Vogelbach could potentially stay. Because it does not have one right now means his trade to the American League is simply a matter of when, not if.

Gleyber Torres

Yes, Gleyber Torres is the Cubs’ top prospect and 41st best going into the 2016 season and is just 19 years old. He plays shortstop and will most likely start this season is Class-A Myrtle Beach.

Regardless of his age, prospect ranking and potential, there literally is nowhere for him to play on the Cubs now or in the future. Addison Russell is the shortstop presumably for the next decade and Báez will eventually play second base once Ben Zobrist retires. With Russell being just 22 years old and Báez being 23 years old, one can assume that the Cubs have their double play combination set in stone for the next decade.

Torres could potentially play outfield, but the Cubs have too many outfielders as is, including Schwarber, Soler, Fowler, Jason Heyward and even Kris Bryant The team also has 2012 first-round pick Albert Almora in Triple-A with the ever-stacked Iowa Cubs, Oakland Athletics’ 2013 first-round pick Billy McKinney in Double-A Tennessee and 2015 first-round pick Ian Happ in Class-A Eugene.

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Essentially, the only way that Torres will ever make an impact on the Cubs is if Russell or Báez implode and do not continue on the promising road of become a premier talent that they have showed flashes of in their short careers. Torres will be a great player, but it is hard to see him being one with the Cubs in Chicago.

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If need be, the Chicago Cubs have the players on their current roster and in the minor leagues to make any trade they might need.

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