Chicago Cubs aren’t going to trade Kyle Schwarber anytime soon

Despite the interest many teams have in Kyle Schwarber, the Chicago Cubs have made it perfectly clear: this is not a guy they’re looking to trade.

Before the Chicago Cubs report to Mesa for Spring Training in February, odds are that at least one player off the big-league roster will be gone. Even if the team fills that final spot in the starting rotation via free agency, the bullpen remains questionable and will require attention.

Of course, the farm system is wiped out. The Cubs lack a single Top 100 prospect after dominating said list for years. But that’s because those prospects now occupy spots on the Major League roster. The others were sent to either Detroit, New York or the South Side in trades for Aroldis Chapman, Jose Quintana and Justin Wilson, respectively.

The players left in the wake of those trade are some of the most talented young pieces in the league. The Cubs will likely continue to groom Ian Happ as the heir-apparent to Ben Zobrist, who is firmly on the wrong side of 35 and has just two years left on his deal. Addison Russell, if he figures it out offensively, could be an elite weapon at shortstop.

Then you’ve got El Mago – Javier Baez. After two straight years of respectable work at the plate and top-tier glove work, the Cubs are higher than ever on their stud middle infielder. But as high as they are on Baez, there’s one man who they seem to hold in even higher regard: Kyle Schwarber.