Chicago Cubs: One more big trade in the FanSided Mock Winter Meetings

Chicago Cubs: Trading from a position of strength

When this mock offseason began, we weren’t sure which of the Cubs’ young outfielder would survive – if any. But, in the end, it’s Kyle Schwarber. He made enough strides defensively last year and possesses the raw tools offensively to grant us a bit more patience in his continued development.

Happ, meanwhile, became a casualty of a crowded Chicago outfield that already parted ways with Albert Almora in order to bring in a badly-needed southpaw reliever in Brad Hand. Happ, meanwhile, seemed like the next logical option in an effort to clear up the outfield picture.

It’s also important to note – no one was touching Jason Heyward or his contract, so that’s a non-starter. We also tried not to pay for guys to play against us. More often than not, that’s just bad business.

Happ struck out 167 times last year in 142 games (387 at-bats). That works out to a 43 percent strikeout rate in his ABs – hardly something the Cubs can afford while trying to get an inconsistent offense performing on a daily basis. You might call his 2018 showing a sophomore slump of sorts, but for us, it was a telling showing – and one we don’t want to see again.