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

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.