Chicago Cubs Rumors: Do Jean Segura, Edwin Diaz make sense in a trade?

Hot on the heels of Monday’s blockbuster trade, it’s clear the Seattle Mariners are selling. Will the latest Cubs rumors tie the team to the Mariners?

As baseball anxiously awaits the first major free agent signing of the offseason, the hot stove heated up in a big way Monday. The Seattle Mariners traded left-hander James Paxton to the New York Yankees in exchange for a package headlined by prospect Justus Sheffield. How does this tie back to Chicago? It hasn’t yet – but don’t be surprised if you see Cubs rumors connecting the club to the Mariners in coming weeks.

The Chicago Cubs have been largely quiet so far this offseason. At this point, we’ve heard everything from the team doesn’t have any money to spend to they’re actively pursuing Bryce Harper, so it’s anybody’s guess where the truth lies.

My guess? It’s somewhere in the middle. I’m sure Chicago has money to spend – but don’t expect to see Tom Ricketts in front of the press talking about spending “a little bit stupid” either. But if the team is looking to remain financially conscious, then the club may be more active in the trade market than in free agency.

Enter the Seattle Mariners. This isn’t a ‘burn it to the ground’ unloading of talent on behalf of Seattle GM Jerry Dipoto. He wants this team to remain competitive in both the short and long-term. The Cubs, meanwhile, have all kinds of talent that could make sense for Seattle.

Cubs Rumors: Keep an eye on the team’s young outfielders

When you’re looking to avoid a complete tank and win long-term, as a franchise, you’re going to want high-ceiling, controllable players. Chicago happens to have quite a few of those.

The list has to start with the likes of Ian Happ, Kyle Schwarber and Albert Almora Jr. These are clearly the three biggest names on the roster that are likely to move this offseason. You can likely include guys like Addison Russell and Victor Caratini on this list, as well – but neither will fetch anywhere near what those first three guys could.

Almora played incredibly well in the first half of 2018, hitting .319/.357/.438 while giving Joe Maddon elite defense in center field. He faded badly down the stretch, but more than a few folks have blamed a lack of consistent at-bats for his decline more than anything else.

As for Happ, his swing-and-miss tendencies grew old quickly this year. His on-base percentage climbed year-over-year, but his power seemingly evaporated from his rookie campaign. Happ’s slugging percentage plummeted – falling from .514 to .408 year-over-year. He was exactly league average (100 OPS+) as an offensive player but hit just .233 on the season.

Still, he’s a switch hitter with decent pop who can play pretty much anywhere on the diamond. That has a ton of value to most teams, including the Cubs (and Mariners, for that matter).

Lastly, Schwarber comes off one of his most promising seasons in the big leagues. He put up a 115 OPS+, hit 26 home runs and put up a personal best .356 OBP across 137 games. Much like the entire Cubs offense, he faded down the stretch, but there was a lot to like about what he brought to the team on a daily basis.

Other names you might want to keep an eye on? As mentioned, Russell and Caratini make sense – especially if the Mariners are looking to unload someone like Jean Segura. With that thinking, Cubs prospect Miguel Amaya – a catcher – could also be an ideal target for the M’s given their recent trade of Mike Zunino to the Tampa Bay Rays.

Cubs Rumors: Seattle has a lot of ideal targets to focus on

Let’s take a step back and look at the Cubs’ biggest needs. Depending on what they do with Addison Russell, they need a middle infielder. Even if they decided to hold onto him (which I don’t think they should) – you can’t go into 2019 with Mike Freeman as your backup middle infielder.

A veteran backup catcher (which won’t come from Seattle), potentially a more prototypical leadoff hitter and impact bullpen arms headline the team’s wish list this winter. It just so happens most of those boxes could be checked in a deal with the Mariners.

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We talked about Dee Gordon as a potential fit recently – and depending on who you ask, it’s either a great idea or one of the worst ever proposed. He’s got the speed the Cubs have lacked of late but has been pretty erratic when it comes to getting on base. (In the last four years, his on-base percentage has been as high as .351 and as low as .288 – so who knows what you’re getting). He also plays multiple positions – so if someone like Happ went to Seattle in a deal, the Cubs don’t lose much in terms of versatility, either.

Edwin Diaz, the team’s All-Star closer who finished eighth in AL Cy Young voting, could be the stopped the Cubs sorely need. That’s not a knock on Brandon Morrow, but the right-hander’s health is a huge concern right now. Diaz gives you a guy coming off a 57-save season under team control through 2023.

Lastly (and make no mistake, there are more pieces than these three that could help the Cubs in 2019) – the team could ask on Jean Segura. We know the Yankees asked about the Mariners infielder in their talks for Paxton – but nothing came of the discussions.

Such a trade, of course, likely means Russell is on his way out of town. But Segura is coming off his third-straight .300+ average campaign in which he got on base at a minimum of a .341 clip. At just 28 years old with long-term control, he could be the answer the Cubs need at the shortstop position.