Chicago Cubs: AL teams with intriguing trade assets

New York Yankees

The Yankees have been in contact with the Cubs about trading relievers Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller, and are adamant about acquiring Kyle Schwarber for either one. It’s a tempting offer on the Cubs behalf since Schwarber is currently recovering from tearing his ACL and MCL in April and no one knows just how effective he will be afterward. Schwarber would almost certainly be a DH option for the Yankees, but to acquire Chapman—who can become a free agent after the year is over—would drastically undervalue Schwarber’s offensive potential. Schwarber hit 14 home runs in the second spot of the lineup in 2015, essentially adding the jump starting the Cubs offense that carried them to the NLCS.

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Assuming the Cubs break their curse and win the World Series, the chances of resigning Chapman decrease significantly because his price would skyrocket. The Cubs want to win a World Series for their fans, but they don’t want to win only one—they want to be competitive for years to come. Trading for Chapman would certainly increase their chances of winning the Series this year, but hurt them in years to come if they can’t resign him after the season.

Miller makes more sense to trade for since he will be under control through the 2018 season. He’s a pitcher that can anchor a bullpen, and can reduce a team’s ability to score by about two innings. The Cubs are in need of left-handed pitching since they only have Travis Wood and Clayton Richard working out of their bullpen.

Theo Epstein has said that he wants to keep the Cubs core together, which includes Schwarber, and wants to unload surplus prospects like Eloy Jimenez and Ian Happ for pitching. Both Happ and Jimenez could serve as an effective DH for the Yankees given the short fence in right field, but GM Brian Cashman may not be willing to sell his thoroughbreds for a couple of yearlings.

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