Chicago Cubs: Saying goodbye to a superstar in FanSided Mock GM Meetings

Taking part in FanSided’s annual Mock GM Meetings, where editors and contributors alike take control of their respective site’s teams, the Chicago Cubs said goodbye to a superstar and hello to a batch of exciting young prospects.

Before we hit the panic button and turn this into a ‘War of the Worlds’ type chaos, I will preface how this is not an actual trade by the Chicago Cubs. Instead, it is a simulation. Each year FanSided’s MLB division puts together a Mock Winter Meetings for their editors and contributors and allows them to play general manager for a week.

As is the same thing in real life, there are parameters and guidelines we must follow to wheel and deal, and, as you would expect, chaos ensues. It is a fun time and a chance to imagine how you see things and would ultimately do things given the opportunity to step into such a role.

This year I got lucky with the opportunity and am running things with one of our site experts, Nicholas Blazek. As real-life rumors abound surrounding the future of star catcher Willson Contreras, we took it upon ourselves to make a move. Sadly, we collectively decided to trade Contreras. However, it could be a deal that works out for both clubs.

Chicago Cubs: 1B Andrew Vaughn, No.3 overall

The primary piece of this trade, Andrew Vaughn, ranks as the White Sox’ number three overall prospect. A product of the California Golden Bears, Vaughn starred for three seasons and did not disappoint.

An outstanding collegiate career, Vaughn slashed .376/.497/.691 with a 1.188 OPS in 160 games at Berkley. It was strong enough to render him the number three overall pick in 2019 Major League Baseball amateur draft.

Within one season, Vaughn has already worked his way from Rookie ball to Class-A Advanced and is putting up some respectable numbers. In 23 games at Class-A, Vaughn slashed .253/.388/.410 with a .374 wOBA and 138 wRC+. Following a promotion, Vaughn cut his strikeout rate by four percent and managed a similar .252/.349/.411 line with a 122 wRC+.

Only 21 years old, Vaughn has plenty of time to develop into a budding star. According to his prospect report on MLB.com, Vaughn could turn into a 30 home run guy with an affinity to earn walks. His plate discipline is strong, and Vaughn can drive the ball to all parts of the field. Sound like someone we know?

While Vaughn is not as big as Anthony Rizzo, there are some parallels in their makeup. Looking more into the rationale behind the deal, Rizzo is set to be a free agent in 2022. He will be 32 years old at that point, and a long-term deal likely will not be in the cards. Giving Vaughn more time to develop will afford the Cubs the option to let Rizzo walk, and Vaughn can slide right into the big league lineup as the next excellent Chicago star.

Chicago Cubs: SP Jonathan Stiever, No.7 overall

After finagling back and forth the details of the deal, we were able to land the White Sox’ number seven overall prospect Jonathan Stiever. The White Sox did offer Dane Dunning, who I like, however, coming off Tommy John surgery became a red flag. I can’t tell you if we made the right call.

Stiever is another strong college arm. He started three seasons at the University of Indiana, posting a career 3.56 ERA in 48 games, including 34 starts. As a sophomore, Stiever was the ‘Ace’ of the Hoosiers and even led the Big 10 in strikeouts. If that was not enough, Stiever helped his rookie level team win the Pioneer League championship in his first professional season.

Beginning the 2019 campaign at Class-A, Stiever posted a 4.74 ERA in 74 innings across 14 starts. Once he received a promotion to Class-A Advanced, Stiever turned on another gear. He started 12 games and finished the season there with a 2.15 ERA, lowering both his FIP and xFIP in the process.

The Cubs require pitching if they wish to compete in the next decade. The average age of the rotation is roughly 32 years old, and Stiever has the ceiling of a future number three starter in the rotation. While he may not be the hottest pitching prospect in the White Sox’ system, he is another reliable option and one who would ultimately help the Cubs into the future.

Chicago Cubs: OF Steele Walker, No. 6 overall

The third of four prospects heading to the Northside is outfielder and White Sox number six overall prospect Steele Walker. Walker starred as a Sooner at the University of Oklahoma for three seasons, finishing his collegiate career with a .326/.404/.522 slash line and a .926 OPS.

As a second-round selection in 2018, Walker has worked his way up to Class-A Advanced in two short seasons and at 23 years old, seems likely on a stable path to reach the majors in a couple of seasons.

Walker struggled at Class-A in 2018. He slashed just .186/.246/.310 before completely turning it around this past season. In 20 games at Class-A to start his 2019 campaign, Walker slashed an insanely robust .365/.437/.581 with a 189 wRC+. He moved right up to Class-A Advanced where across 100 games, Walker posted a still very above-average 124 wRC+ and found his power stroke by smashing ten long balls.

Spending 81 percent of his games in center field, Walker did not make a single fielding error across 703 innings. The Cubs require center field help as offensively the likes of Albert Almora is not cutting it. To be able to snag Walker on top of both Vaughn and Stiever feels like an excellent thing, and Walker is a guy who can be a solid contributor at the major league level.

Chicago Cubs: SS Yolbert Sanchez, No.22 overall

The final piece to this transaction puzzle is a shortstop prospect, Yolbert Sanchez. He comes in at number 22 overall on the White Sox’ top 30 pipeline list. A prospect out of Cuba, Sanchez broke onto the scene this past season, signing with the Sox for $2.5 million.

He thoroughly impressed in his first professional season, slashing .297/.386/.441 with a .400 wOBA and 130 wRC+, respectively. Sanchez managed an 11.8 percent walk rate and a 9.4 percent strikeout rate while hitting a couple of home runs and stealing three bases in 29 games.

Widely regarded as the best shortstop in the system, it has been talked about how Sanchez is already major league ready. His defensive prowess is well above-average, and Sanchez has shown off his strong arm, which should excite fans.

I was surprised Sanchez was included on top of the three other prospects. The Cubs can never have too much infield depth either, and making a deal to include Sanchez gives more firepower for the team to release Addison Russell.

Suffice it to say it was a difficult decision to send Contreras to the south side. A positive about this is that it is now one less star the Cubs have to negotiate a long-term deal with and gives leverage to other guys like Kris Bryant and Javier Baez. Overall, it came together reasonably well, and I hope Cubs fans are happy with the results.