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

Chicago Cubs: Balancing the short and long-term needs

In return, we brought in two guys we believe can help the Cubs win in the short-term and two more with an eye on the future. Starting with the short-term, we added veteran Howie Kendrick and utilityman Wilmer Difo – both of whom fit Joe Maddon‘s utilitarian managerial style.

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Kendrick comes with just one year of control left on his deal and is coming off a .303 average last year with Washington in 40 games. He lends a veteran presence with postseason experience to the roster and, again, can play multiple positions. Should a midseason trade of Addison Russell come to fruition, he could take over at second, shifting Javier Baez back to shortstop.

Difo is more of a jack-of-all-trades. He’s a light-hitting utilityman who can step in as needed throughout the year.

Again, we built this roster based on how Maddon builds a lineup – further evidencing our continuing faith in the former Manager of the Year.

It’s safe to say had we had the power, the skipper would have undoubtedly gotten the extension he sorely lacks in real life.