Chicago Cubs should take a look at trading for Mitch Haniger

3 of 3

(Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) /

Imagine that. Jerry Dipoto is wheeling and dealing up in Seattle. With that in mind, the Chicago Cubs should take advantage and make a deal with the M’s.

So far this offseason the Chicago Cubs have remained relatively quiet while the Seattle Mariners have been making headlines on a near-weekly basis. The Mariners decided to take a new direction this winter by starting a complete rebuild of their team, trading stars and money away for young prospects and talent.

So far they have made five major trades and dealt the likes of James Paxton, Edwin Diaz, Robinson Cano, Jean Segura and Mike Zunino. General manager Jerry Dipoto even traded Carlos Santana, who he recently acquired in a trade for Segura two weeks ago, from a hospital bed at the Winter Meetings.

With the Mariners in full on sell-mode, the Cubs should seriously entertain the idea of dealing for outfielder Mitch Haniger. Haniger is the Mariners’ most valuable remaining asset but no one on their team is considered untouchable. Would it take quiet a haul to pry him away? Absolutely. But for the right price, he could be a perfect fit for the Cubs.

(Photo by Lindsey Wasson/Getty Images) /

Chicago Cubs: What could Haniger bring to the table for the Cubs?

At age 27 Haniger is just now coming into his prime years and he is under contract for the next four seasons. He had a career year in just his second season in the big leagues, posting a 4.6 WAR. That was the highest WAR of anyone on the Mariners and that would have been the second highest of any Cub, trailing just National League MVP runner-up Javier Baez.

Haniger is an extremely versatile batter and can hit anywhere in the lineup. Last season he started as the number six hitter before becoming the cleanup hitter. He even served as the M’s leadoff man when Dee Gordon went down with an injury.

The right fielder is a multi-dimensional hitter and can hit for both contact and power. He hit .285 last season and recorded 170 hits, the second-most on the team. He also hit 26 home runs and drove in 93 runs, both of which were also second-best among the Mariners, trailing only Nelson Cruz.

While he is mostly known for his bat, Haniger is a more than serviceable outfielder. Even though he isn’t extremely flashy with the glove, he has one of the stronger arms in baseball. Last season he was one of the best at throwing out runners, tying for the league lead with 12 outfield assists.

Chicago Cubs: What would it take for the Cubs to acquire Haniger?

As everyone knows the Cubs farm system is currently nothing to write home about now that all of their top prospects have graduated to the big leagues. If Chicago were to make a legitimate offer for Haniger it would probably have to start with at least one, maybe two players, from the big league roster.

More from Cubbies Crib

A deal would probably have to be centered around Ian Happ, Albert Almora or Kyle Schwarber and could potentially also include David Bote. Possibly a combination of two of those players would be enough to get the Mariners attention.

When you start to look at Cubs prospects the list thins out. The Cubs have Duane Underwood, Justin Steele and Adbert Alzolay headlining the pitching ranks. Perhaps pairing them with any of the young Cubs from the big league roster would be enough to get a deal done.

I’m sure many of you are thinking that’s way too much to give up for Haniger, who’s only really played two major league seasons but I think he’s legit. Last season Haniger was named an All-Star for the first time and was a top-10 finisher in the American League MVP race. He’s only going to get better from here.

Guys like Happ, Almora, Schwarber and Bote aren’t even everyday starters on this team. We’ve gotten glimpses from all of them but none have proved they have what it takes to sustain that high-level of play game in and game out.

Haniger can be an everyday right-fielder and Jason Heyward can slide over to center if, in fact, Happ or Almora are dealt. That could help solidify the Cubs’ lineup and Joe Maddon could run a much more consistent team out on the field every day as opposed to all the tinkering and playing matchups.

Next. This young core has plenty to prove next season. dark

Of course, everyone reading this is probably screaming why would we trade for Haniger when we could just sign Bryce Harper? Well, while that would certainly be nice, but due to the Cubs rumored financial restrictions, that doesn’t seem to be in the cards. If that’s not possible, trading for Haniger is a great plan B for the Cubs and gets them closer to another World Series.

Home / Chicago Cubs News