Chicago Cubs: Examining three potential blockbuster trades

Chicago Cubs: Cubs send Willson Contreras, Jason Heyward, and Adbert Alzolay to the Boston Red Sox for Mookie Betts.

Why it makes sense: There’s not much we have to say about Mookie Betts, as he’s one of the elite players in the game. However, a lot of fans would be upset if the Chicago Cubs were to give up Willson Contreras, one of the game’s top hitting catchers. Yet the Cubs are going to have to make some decisions soon about who they want to lock up long-term; they won’t be able to sign everyone to extensions.

The Cubs do have a solid replacement for Contreras in Victor Caratini, or they could go out and get a veteran such as Yasmani Grandal. There’s also Miguel Amaya, who’s still a couple of years away, but long-term he could be a replacement at catcher. (Of course, there’s no guarantee that will materialize.)

For the Red Sox, Contreras would be attractive because he’s still under three years of control. Besides catcher, they could also play him at first base, the outfield, or at DH. Given that there’s a good chance the Red Sox will lose J.D. Martinez this offseason, they could probably use all the help they can get. In this trade, Boston also would get a serviceable replacement in right field for Betts.

Why it wouldn’t make sense: Would the Red Sox really makethis trade? It might be a stretch to think so. Persuading them to take on Jason Heyward‘s contract would be a tall task. Plus, the Red Sox likely would want young, major-league ready starting pitching in return for Betts, and the Cubs just don’t have much to offer in that department. Adbert Alzolay has a lot of potential, but he’s unproven at the major league level to this point.

From the Cubs’ standpoint, taking on Betts would be a risk, as he’s only signed through 2020. Not to mention, he’s arbitration-eligible and is going to make a lot of money. Besides that, as is always the case with a league change, there would be questions on how Betts would handle his new surroundings. Would he have as much success with National League pitching? Would he be able to handle playing right at Wrigley Field? Hopefully, he would.

Chicago Cubs: Cubs send Kyle Schwarber and Ian Happ to the Cleveland Indians for Francisco Lindor.

Why it makes sense: The Indians aren’t likely to be able to sign Francisco Lindor to a long-term deal, so there’s a chance they’ll be looking to move him this offseason. The Indians won 93 games last year and play in a lousy division, so they’re likely going to want to retool rather than rebuild. This trade with the Chicago Cubs would give them a solid outfield/DH option that they could control for two years, along with a major-league ready hitter that they could move around the diamond.

The Cubs already have a shortstop in Javier Baez, but Baez has played a lot of second base in his career, so he could slide back over and fill the Cubs’ big gap there. Lindor can’t become a free agent for another two years, so that would be an advantage over trading for Betts, over whom they would only have one year of control.

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Why it wouldn’t make sense: Neither team would come out much further ahead with this deal. The main pieces, Kyle Schwarber and Lindor, are both free agents at the same time, so neither side is gaining in that regard. The Indians would get more power, while the Cubs would become more athletic, but the net gain on either side would be minimal. Plus, the Cubs would solve one problem at second base but would have another hole to fill in left field.

Also, how would Baez handle being moved once again? He’d probably be okay with it, but you hate to have to keep doing that to a star player.

Plus, Baez is a dynamic shortstop, and you’d hate to lose that. And as with Betts, there’s the concern over how Lindor would handle a move to the National League. There’s just not much of a chance of this trade happening.

Chicago Cubs: Cubs send Kris Bryant to the New York Mets for Noah Syndergaard.

Why it makes sense: If the Chicago Cubs want to shake up the roster and give the team a different look for 2020, Kris Bryant seems to be the big-name player most likely to be traded. Whether deserved or not, he’s been the poster child for the team’s underachieving performance over the past couple of seasons, and the whole service time controversy has likely caused bad feelings between the Cubs and Bryant camps.

The Mets could be a good fit, as they will look to potentially replace free agent Todd Frazier at the hot corner. Many thought Noah Syndergaard would be traded during this season, but instead, the Mets decided not to sell anyone off, and it almost paid off as they jumped back into contention late in the year. Nonetheless, Syndergaard’s name will continue to pop up in trade rumors this offseason, and the Cubs could certainly use some starting pitching help. Both teams are looking to retool instead of reload, so on the surface, this could make sense.

Why it wouldn’t make sense: Syndergaard didn’t have a particularly good year in 2019. After four straight years with an ERA of 3.24 or lower from 2015-2018, in 2019 that number was 4.28. He did prove he was healthy, making 32 starts, but he also led the league in earned runs allowed. His 24 home runs allowed was by far a career high. Was 2019 an aberration? The Cubs would be taking a chance that it was.

Then there’s the hole left at third base. Anthony Rendon seems unlikely, and there’s not much else free agent-wise. Josh Donaldson could be a short-term solution, albeit an expensive one, or they could try Ian Happ there. Either way, replacing Bryant’s production at third wouldn’t be easy. We can argue about how clutch Kris Bryant is, but numbers-wise, he’s one of the best-hitting third basemen in the game.

Again, all three of these trades probably have a small chance of happening, but that’s not going to stop the rumor mill from going strong. Plus, there’s a good chance that the front office is going to do something big this offseason. We’ll have to wait and see what it is.