Chicago Cubs News: The Ohtani memo, trade candidates hold little value

Shohei Otani likely won’t be coming to the Chicago Cubs. But expect Theo Epstein to do his due diligence. How would the Cubs answer the questions in the Otani memo? We gave it an effort to think like the Cubs.

The Chicago Cubs know that Shohei Otani is an unlikely signing. But the Cubs aren’t going to simply say “no thanks” and let the other 29 teams go after him. Theo Epstein and the Cubs will at least follow through with the memo his agent asked all teams interested to present to help Otani make his decision. Epstein has a way with things like this. Don’t forget the video the Cubs put together for Jon Lester. This wasn’t as intense. But the Cubs couldn’t find themselves in the running if Epstein answers these questions well.

There’s plenty of talk about the Cubs trading some of their young talent this winter. Once Epstein set that up with his interview at the end of the season, people made it gospel. But the Cubs could stand pat this offseason, instead, waiting for a better class of free agents in 2018. The Cubs will address the holes in the lineup and bullpen. Just maybe not with the high priced free agents fans expect.

The Cubs might also hold their ground because the value of many of their potential trade candidates doesn’t hold high value. Javier Baez is one of the few that has shown he can play every day at a high level. He has his issues, but still. Albert Almora hasn’t gotten a chance to play every day. And Ian Happ has gone through stretches of drought, as well. And Addison Russell‘s numbers were down considerably, although he did miss some time with the plantar fasciitis.

These and other stories you might have missed:

‘Creating the Shohei Otani memo’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Standing pat could be best option for the Cubs’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Cubs current trade pieces hold little value’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Beltran in the mix for Yankees job?’ – MLB.com

‘Why the Cubs should make a blockbuster trade for pitching’ – ESPN

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Next: Dissecting the complexities of Otani

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