Chicago Cubs move a fan favorite in FanSided Mock Winter Meetings

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Looking to fill a big need in the FanSided Mock Winter Meetings, we traded a Chicago Cubs fan favorite in an effort to fill a big need in the bullpen.

Much like I made it clear yesterday, we’ll start things off with an important disclaimer. This trade we’re about to talk about did not happen. It took place as part of the annual FanSided MLB Mock Winter Meetings and featured the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians.

Every year, all the MLB division editors get together for a week and wheel and deal for our respective teams. Again, we have to operate with a mindset similar to the actual organization – so you won’t see the Baltimore Orioles shelling out $400 million for Bryce Harper.

Yesterday, I broke down our first trade of the Mock Winter Meetings, a deal that sent Mike Montgomery and a pair of prospects to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for hard-throwing reliever Raisel Iglesias. This deal gives the Cubs an insurance policy on right-hander Brandon Morrow, who missed half the season with injuries last year – and brings another shutdown arm into the mix.

Our second move of the Mock Winter Meetings also focused on the relief corps. While I doubt many people will jump all over me for trading Montgomery, talking about this deal will be quite different, I’m sure.

In a straight one-for-one swap, we sent outfielder Albert Almora Jr. to the Indians in exchange for left-handed reliever Brad Hand and his team-friendly contract.

Chicago Cubs: Almora fills a longstanding need in Cleveland

If the Cleveland Indians want to be successful long-term, trotting Jason Kipnis out to play center field out of sheer necessity probably isn’t the best plan.

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That’s not a knock on Kipnis – he’s a great player and I have nothing against the guy. But there’s a pretty big difference between a veteran infielder playing center field and someone like Albert Almora, who looked like a Gold Glove-caliber outfielder for much of 2018.

Last season, Almora put up the best numbers of his career in the first half, slashing .319/.357/.438 heading into the All-Star Break. For much of the first few months, he held down the leadoff spot and looked to finally be turning the corner. But, down the stretch, he faded in a big way.

In the season’s second half, the former first-round pick hit just .232 with a .546 OPS. From July to September, he failed to hit north of .242 – as the team’s offense languished and played a critical role in coughing up the National League Central to the rival Brewers.

There’s no doubting what Albert Almora could be. But Joe Maddon doesn’t seem like he’s ever going to give him a starting job on a day-to-day basis, relying instead on matchups. And, given the Cubs’ glaring bullpen needs, this was a tough trade that ultimately proved necessary.

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Chicago Cubs: This was a need, not a want for our team

If you’re lightly skimming, I again want to remind you this is part of our Mock Winter Meetings. That being said, my inherent belief that the Cubs need a big-time left-handed reliever stems from what we saw in real-life this season.

With Justin Wilson hitting free agency and Montgomery traded to Cincinnati in this alternate reality, our club would head into 2019 with Randy Rosario and Brian Duensing as the two left-handed options. That’s not what I’d call awe-inspiring.

Bringing in Brad Hand on an incredibly team-friendly $17.5 million over the next two years (with a $10 million option for 2021) solves that problem. The southpaw went from San Diego to Cleveland last summer, and, overall, continued to pitch effectively.

Between the two clubs, he turned in a 2.75 ERA in 69 appearances, earning a second-straight All-Star appearance and averaging a career-best 13.3 punchouts per nine. This isn’t just another left-handed arm out there in the left field pen at Wrigley Field. Brad Hand is a staff-altering presence capable of serving in an Andrew Miller-like fireman role or even closing out games.

Next. Should the Cubs make a push for Kimbrel?. dark

So, halfway through the FanSided Mock Winter Meetings, we’ve reloaded the Cubs’ pen in a big way. From the sixth or seventh inning on, Maddon could turn to Pedro Strop, Brandon Morrow, Brad Hand or Raisel Iglesias.

We’ve seen the power of super bullpens in recent years – and in this reality, the Cubs are buying into it in a big way.