Imagining a Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves Kris Bryant trade

The rumors about the future of Chicago Cubs and Kris Bryant continue to abound.  With the Atlanta Braves in the discussions, it is time to imagine what Alex Anthopoulos would be willing to send back for the former MVP’s services.

Rifling through what feels like endless amounts of news and rumors involving Kris Bryant and his future with the Cubs has me singing ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go’ by The Clash. It is an all-time classic. It was also featured in ‘Stranger Things.’ Great show, if you have yet to see it. But I digress.

In a realistic sense, it isn’t elementary to imagine any team willing enough to part with their top organizational talent for possibly just two years with Bryant. Assuming, of course, uber-agent Scott Boras does not wish to negotiate a contract with the receiving franchise, it narrows the trade window drastically.

But one particular franchise stands out as a potential Bryant suitor in the Atlanta Braves. How close anything is or is not is anybody’s guess. Really, it depends on whether or not Josh Donaldson returns to the team in free agency. For Cubs fans, though, Atlanta likely sits at the top of preferred trade partners given the organization’s young talent.

The question is, who is the club willing to part ways on?

Chicago Cubs: The cream of the prospect crop

Instinctively, and maybe not so much, the first and probably only guy I want in a trade package for Bryant is center fielder Christian Pache. Per his Fangraphs prospect projections, Pache profiles to be a plus major leaguer bordering on the fringes of All-Star caliber.

Pache is by far and away from the clear-cut number one prospect in the Braves organization. Still only 21 years old, Pache already has amassed four years of professional baseball, starting in Rookie League in 2016, all the way to Triple-A Gwinnett this past season.

Having begun the year at Double-A Mississippi, Pache demolished the competition. He slashed .278/.340/.474 with 11 home runs and a 134 wRC+. The average was not quite there; however, Pache got on base a lot, and in his opportunities, he made the most of them. It is an exciting time for ‘the kids’ in baseball. As they say: “Let the kids play.” If Bryant does get moved, this kid can come to play in Chicago.

Chicago Cubs: Addressing a pressing need

Of the team’s top ten prospects, the Braves have five arms. Half of their top thirty are pitchers. It is a pretty loaded system if I say so myself. It also creates the perfect hub for Bryant and would give the Cubs much-needed help in the rotation.

The first player, Ian Anderson, ranks as Atlanta’s number three overall prospect. The Braves third overall drafted Anderson in the 2016 amateur draft. Another incredibly young prospect, Anderson, can legally buy a beer in the continental United States. He also has three seasons of professional baseball in his back pocket.

If you were realistic, you would understand most of Anderson’s experience in 2019 came at the Double-A level. The kid did impress, posting a 2.68 ERA across 21 starts. In five games at Gwinnett, Anderson struggled to a 6.57 ERA. Unfortunate ERA aside, Anderson has the makings of a future major league rotational piece. If the Braves refused to move off Anderson, though, there is another highly intriguing option to consider.

Now, we arrive to the Braves’ number four current overall prospect starting pitcher Kyle Wright. A little more seasoned than his younger cohorts, Wright has been with Atlanta since the team selected him fifth overall in the 2017 amateur draft.

Wright finished with the season at the major league level, posting an atrocious 8.69 ERA across seven games, including four starts. Not precisely the refresh he was hoping for on his second trip to the big leagues.

Turning into a mixed bag of results, Wright burst through the threshold in 2018, finishing with a 2.51 ERA in four starts. The 21-year-old matches a four-pitch repertoire to include a fastball (primary pitch), slider, curveball and a change-up. In his rankings, Wright has the potential to be a frontline starting pitcher. Only time and money will be able to answer that question.

Chicago Cubs: Building an alternative plan

No, Willson Contreras is not going anywhere. It is the hope, anyway. Honestly, of the big four, a trade involving Contreras does not seem the most logical, especially at this point in his career. Hypothetically, and yes, we are playing hypotheticals if you hadn’t guessed, it would probably take the moon for Theo Epstein to part ways with ‘Willy.’

Say the Cubs do decide to move on from Contreras, which then leaves the door open for a future with Shea Langeliers, Atlanta’s number five overall prospect. Langeliers is another guy who it seems the Braves do not wish to part with, but come on, its freaking Kris Bryant!

It is projected that Langeliers is only a couple of seasons from reaching the big leagues. After being taken ninth overall, the 22-year-old former Baylor standout enjoyed decent success. Langeliers slashed .255/.310/.343 with a couple of home runs and 34 RBI.

While his numbers are not eye-popping, Langeliers does possess an impressive swing as well as the above-average defense behind the dish. He also has an elite-level 1.8 second pop time on base stealers. In the majors, the average pop time is 2.01 seconds. A 1.9 second time is elite.

Trying to acquire Langeliers in a potential deal for Bryant rests mainly on whether the Cubs will ship Contreras to another team. It is not the end all be all, but it makes the most sense. Langeliers is a talent I am excited to follow into the future. If a deal for Bryant goes down, Anthopoulos better be sweetening the pot with Langeliers.

Chicago Cubs: What is a realistic chaos?

No, the Cubs should not trade Bryant. I have been hammering this home for goodness knows how long. Regarding the likelihood of what the Cubs shouldn’t do and what the Cubs will do is a completely different story.

As Epstein leads the charge, it absolutely has to start with Pache. If not Pache then Waters. One of the two will need to be involved in a package deal. Of the two between Anderson and Wright, I prefer Wright. Don’t get me wrong I like Anderson’s makeup, I just believe Wright has the higher upside.

Lastly, if it is not Langeliers who is available it would give the Cubs ample time to check in on William Contreras, the younger brother of ‘Willy’. Bryse Wilson is also a name to watch for in any rumor mills. He performed well at Gwinnett this year and carries great command. Finally, of the pitching prospects I like the most in Atlanta’s farm it may be Kyle Muller. Muller has been as consistent as they come and should be close to a date with the Show.

Understandably, the Braves will probably be stingy in their package if these rumors gain any semblance of traction. It would be interesting to see an actual trade offer come to the table in order to see where Anthopoulos’ head is at regarding this charade.

No matter what happens it comes down to a simple motto: In Theo We Trust.