Chicago Cubs: Almora, Schwarber and Happ; trade two, keep one

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I still can’t believe a week ago the Chicago Cubs were playing Game 163 for the NL Central tittle and now we’re discussing offseason moves. But here we are.

The Cubs offense was atrocious down the stretch. We all know that. Notably absent late in the season were the offensive contributions (or lack thereof) from young players Albert Almora Jr., Kyle Schwarber and Ian Happ.

Almora put up tremendous numbers with the bat, slashing .319/.357/.438 going into the All-Star Break. Schwarber was in the middle of a bounce back season, slashing .249/.375/.498. Happ finished the first half strong after an abysmal April, but slashed .256/.379/.453 before the Midsummer Classic.

For the second half (starting July 19), it’s not good. Happ hit .196 with an 80 wRC+, 20 points below league average. His 36.8 percent K-rate is alarming and his ground ball percentage (43.2 percent) was much higher than his fly ball percentage (31.8 percent). He saw strike three 67 times in 182 plate appearances. Schwarber batted .221, posted a 89 wRC+, had a 28 percent strikeout rate and only had an on-base percentage of .329. Almora slashed .232/.267/.280.

All three were unable to get out of their slumps and, in the end, were a big reason why the Cubs failed to hold onto the NL Central.

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Chicago Cubs: Second half decline cost team dearly

It’s hard to believe, but the Cubs offense was not a drastic problem going into the break. Pitching was the problem. The Cubs had not acquired Cole Hamels yet, Tyler Chatwood led baseball in walks (and finished the year in the same situation) and Yu Darvish was hurt and ineffective in his eight starts.

Nonetheless, the aforementioned position players were not good in the second half and it played a role in the Cubs offense in September. So, the question remains: what is their value right now as the Cubs head into a very important offseason.

Quotes from ownership, front office, players and coaches make it clear: it’s not good enough. As a fan, it’s a breath of fresh air.

Chicago Cubs: Big moves on the horizon this offseason?

They can talk the talk but the Cubs front office needs to walk the walk this offseason. We wonder what the starting rotation will look like in 2019 given its depth. The group includes Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Hamels, Jose Quintana, Darvish, Mike Montgomery, Drew Smyly and Chatwood and opens up questions of packaging someone with either Almora, Schwarber or Happ.

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If the Cubs were to trade a pitcher, it would likely be Montgomery, likely. In 124 innings, the southpaw posted a 3.99 ERA and managed to create ground balls 51.1 percent of the time.

He proved in 2018 that he can be a serviceable starting pitcher at the Major League level for the first time while filling in for the injured Darvish.

He also proved he can come out of the bullpen and pitch in high-leverage situations. Not to mention, he’s under contract for the next three seasons and will only be 29 in 2019.

In a time where teams are looking to bolster their bullpen and ride those arms in October, Montgomery’s value could actually be underrated heading into the offseason.

Chicago Cubs: An unlikely, but high-value trade piece

Stay with me here. Kyle Hendricks could also be an option in trade talks. There have been no reports or even rumors of moving Hendricks but the value the Cubs could get back for a Hendricks and Almora/Happ/Schwarber combination could be massive.

Pairing Hendricks or Montgomery with two position players could be the big offseason move outside of free agency. Who the Cubs could get back for those three is the biggest question.

Almora is an excellent defensive outfielder and has grown in terms of hitting right-handed pitching. However, he can, at times, be too aggressive and fail to put the ball in play in high-leverage spots. Like Javier Baez, his walk rate (five percent) is very low. The difference is Baez is an extra-base machine. Almora’s slugging percentage in 2018 was only .378.

Happ has middle of the order power and the ability to work the count to help create walks but also strikes out at a high degree (36.1 percent of the time in 2018 to be exact).

Schwarber improved drastically defensively in 2018, gathering 11 outfield assists. Offensively, we saw his walk-rate rise and his strikeout-rate decrease compared to 2017. His WAR increased to 3.2 compared to a 1.6 in 2017. Overall, it was a bounceback season for him. He might hold the highest value of the three.

Next. Harper, Machado signings could complicate financials. dark

It’s going to happen but the question is who and when. I expect the Cubs to be very aggressive to get this chase for multiple championships back on track. Trading Happ with Almora and Montgomery gets my support and would not surprise me in the slightest.

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I still can’t believe a week ago the Chicago Cubs were playing Game 163 for the NL Central tittle and now we’re discussing offseason moves. But here we are.

Chicago Cubs: Second half decline cost team dearly

Chicago Cubs: Big moves on the horizon this offseason?

More from Cubbies Crib

Chicago Cubs: An unlikely, but high-value trade piece

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