Chicago Cubs should go young in trade acquisitions this offseason

Chicago Cubs: Brandon Marsh

The soon-to-be 22-year-old Brandon Marsh currently ranks as the #2 prospect in the Los Angeles Angels’ farm system. Baseball America describes Marsh as “one of the best athletes in the Angels’ system, a player with plus defensive instincts, speed and route-running ability and a strong, accurate arm.”

At the plate, Marsh “rarely goes out of the strike zone,” while MLB Pipeline reports that he still has a lot to learn but that he should hit for both average and power while also drawing walks. Marsh posted a .300/.383/.428 AVG/OBP/SLG line in AA ball in 2019, while that line was .328/.387/.522 in the Arizona Fall League.

So, why would the Angels trade him, especially when their farm system is already weak? MLB.com reports that Marsh could be expendable because the team already has Mike Trout and Justin Upton, along with soon-to-arrive top prospect Jo Adell, for their outfield. It sounds like Marsh has a potential major league future at any of the three outfield spots and could arrive in 2020.

Like any club, the Cubs should take a look at Marsh should indeed the Angels make him available. There’s just one problem: The Angels want starting pitching, and lots of it. The Angels probably have their sights set on a bigger name than Quintana, but then again, Marsh is not considered to be in the same tier of prospects as Adell is. So, maybe a Marsh-for-Quintana trade could make sense if the Angels think Quintana can come close to returning to his American League form.

Here’s another take: Bleacher Report suggested a Schwarber to the Angels trade. True, the Angels are losing Kole Calhoun to free agency and will have a spot to fill in the outfield, but the article doesn’t factor in Adell or Marsh being ready for the majors soon. It would take more than Marsh for the Cubs to give up Schwarber, but the article makes a good point in suggesting that unloading Schwarber would save the Cubs an estimated $8 million in 2020. For that reason, though it seems unlikely, it’s at least worth bringing up.