Chicago Cubs could look to the American League East in trade talks

Chicago Cubs: Do you know the man above? Didn’t think so.

The Orioles may have been a dreadful team in 2019, but don’t let that fool you into thinking there are no trades to be won between the Cubs and Baltimore. After all, the Cubs do know a thing or two about taking Orioles and making them into stars.

While this guy might not become Jake Arrieta, he could very well be the next Pedro Strop at second base for the Cubs- consistently great for a long time. The Cubs are on the record as looking to become better at contact going forward. How does a guy who strikes out less than 10% of the time sound? How about a .305 batting average? Granted, it may not make any sabermetricians tingle with delight, but it may make the Cubs front office happy.

So, who is this mystery guy from Baltimore? None other than Hanser Alberto. That’s right- Hanser Alberto. 27 years old and in his first year of arbitration, the Orioles second baseman is a solid glove man who makes a ton of contact. Sound like something the Cubs might be interested in? I thought so.

If the Cubs aren’t sold on Nico Hoerner playing second base full-time in 2020, this might be the guy. What would it take to pry a somewhat young and really cheap second baseman away from a team that isn’t going to be contending for a few years? You guessed it- prospects.

And with reports that the Cubs may be trying to lock up their star shortstop Javier Baez, we’re going to send Aramis Ademan (or Zack Short) and Chase Strumpf back to the Orioles – guys they’ll be able to use in two or three years if the Yankees (and Red Sox and Rays, for that matter) haven’t relegated them to another league by then.