Chicago Cubs: Trade rumors obscuring need for impact arm

The trade talk surrounding a number of Chicago Cubs positional stars has been impossible to ignore as of late – but masks a larger concern.

Over the weekend, ESPN Baseball Insider Jeff Passan reported that opposing clubs believe that two-time All-Star and Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras is available:

Kris Bryant‘s future was again called into question at the start of GM meetings on Monday, with numerous executives suggesting that he could be moved:

At least one player among the Mookie Betts/Francisco Lindor/Kris Bryant group will be traded this offseason, in the opinion of multiple @MLB team execs I’ve checked with over the last 24 hours. @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 11, 2019

True to form, Cubs president Theo Epstein does not want to leave any cards on the table. He posited that – because many of Chicago’s youngsters will be free agents at or around the same time – a shake-up is practically inevitable:

On Day 1 of the GM Meetings, Cubs Pres Theo Epstein reiterated how the timing of his controllable players is likely to lead to changes: “This was coming. It’s not like it was going to be one generation of players and that’s it. We knew, when a lot of... https://t.co/ZWddNPJ5Pd
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) November 12, 2019

Naturally, these developments have sent fans into a frenzy. Who will stay? Who will go?

Yet for all the focus given to the young core and the prospects of re-signing Nicholas Castellanos, the need for an impact arm in the rotation is something that has consistently been overlooked.

The trade talk surrounding a number of Chicago Cubs positional stars has been impossible to ignore as of late – but masks a larger concern.

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