Chicago Cubs: Five potential trades to consider with the NL East

Continuing my division-by-division trade series, we shift our attention to deals the Chicago Cubs could make within the National League East.

Some trades are about money. Some are about winning right now. Others are about winning in a few years. Sometimes, you’re just looking to bolster organizational depth. You know it and I know it. With that being said, we’re going to be going through each division with all of those possible trades in mind. Not for the Cubs per se, as my goal in every trade is to win.

I don’t really know (and probably never will) if that’s the order of the day for the Cubs front office, but that will be my goal. Every trade I propose will have the sole purpose of putting the Cubs in a better position to win now and possibly even going forward. You’re only promised today, so why worry about next year or 2022, right?

The first three editions in this division by division trade series (out of six) brought you propositions from the American League East, AL Central, and the AL West.  This week, it’s time to discuss some trades with the Senior Circuit – specifically a division where trade rumors with the Cubs abound, but little usually gets done – the National League East.

With two teams (the Nationals and Braves) rumored to be interested in Kris Bryant specifically, this could actually be a division the Cubs do some real deals with… or maybe the propositions in this article will be the only deals you see made with the NL East this offseason. Let’s get to it.

Chicago Cubs: Could Bryant replace Rendon in D.C.?

I shouldn’t even spend a second on this particular trade, because it’s already been hashed and rehashed and now looks like corned beef hash. Which isn’t to say corned beef hash can’t be good, because it has it’s moments… but both teams would be annoyed at this trade, which means it might be a good trade but the teams probably wouldn’t pull the trigger on getting it done.

Smack me if you’ve heard this one before: Chicago might want to trade Kris Bryant because he’s the best player on the team and one of the few players who other clubs might sell the farm (or at least part of it) for. He’s also the best player on the Cubs and it makes no sense to trade your best player when you’re competing for a pennant and said player isn’t even being paid based on market value. Let’s not try and make sense though here, okay?

Back to the trade- different iterations of this trade include Carter Kieboom and Victor Robles and that’s probably a pretty fair offering for Bryant. Both guys are 22 years old, and both fill an area of need for the Cubs with Kieboom playing second base and Robles playing center field.

Kieboom might seem to be an easy trade piece as he’s a bit redundant at this point for the Nationals, who just signed old pal Starlin Castro and also have Asdrubal Cabrera and Howie Kendrick to move around the infield around stud shortstop Trea Turner. Granted, one or two might be playing third base at times, but they’re all more second basemen at this point in their respective careers, if we’re being honest, with Castro being the likely choice slotted to play a decent amount there next season.

Chicago Cubs: Could Urena work as both a starter and relief guy?

The Marlins could be the toughest team to figure out in all of baseball. They also might be the toughest to try and work a deal with because there are very few guys worth going after to improve a contending ballclub.

One of the guys the Cubs could take a chance on in hopes of a bounceback year is Jose Urena. Whether they see Urena as a starter or reliever, Urena could fill a need and role for a Cubs team that isn’t set at all in either spot. Both the bullpen and rotation are not solidified as of right now, so a guy who isn’t making a ton of money ($4 million) in a swing role might not be such a bad pickup. If all the Cubs have to give up is a young trade prospect who may or may not even get to the show, all the better.

Considering Urena is the third highest paid Marlin at only $4 million per year, the Cubs would be doing the chea… er frugal Marlins a solid by taking some payroll off their hands and stocking their system with another young arm in the form of 18-year-old Richard Gallardo. Gallardo, promising and young as he may be, is a long way from the majors and is anything but a sure thing.

Urena, on the other hand, had promising years in 2017 and 2018 and is still only 27 years of age. While not the sexiest of options, the Marlins didn’t offer much in terms of intrigue and I took a chance on a guy who has the stuff to make things work with a change of scenery. Let’s just hope he doesn’t bean anybody on purpose on the North Side.

Chicago Cubs: Bryant to the Mets? Mets fans say LGM!

Bryant is going to be the main focus in trade talks with the National League East, and for good reason. First off, he’s really good and who wouldn’t want him if they’re expecting to contend. Secondly, whoever does trade for him essentially blocks the three other teams from getting him (yes, I realize I did not include the Marlins in the four team race for the NL East).

By going after Kris Bryant, the Mets would be telling their fans that they’re attempting to compliment a deep pitching rotation with a better offensive lineup. By giving up a top position player prospect and three of their top pitching prospects, they’d also be showing the Cubs that they mean business in this kind of deal.

While it may seem like a lot for the Mets to give up, none of the guys the Cubs would be getting have done anything in the majors. However, by playing the quantity over upper crust quality in this deal, the Cubs would be banking on one or two of the pitchers sticking and the position player to be a starter at some point.

Who are these mystery men for the Metropolitans? None other than third baseman Brett Baty along with pitchers Matthew Allan, David Peterson, and Kevin Smith. Peterson and Smith are also both left-handed throwers. With three more quality arms in the pipeline and a guy who should be able to play third base in a couple of years, the Cubs angle here would be for the future for sure, but by stagnating for another offseason, are they really going after a trophy in 2020?

Chicago Cubs: Is Segura persona non grata in Philly?

The deal that brought Jean Segura to the Phillies last offseason was lauded as an under-the-radar move that could be the best deal of the year. Fast forward a year and Segura may be on the outside looking in as a Phillies infielder, with Didi Gregorius signed and Scott Kingery available to play up the middle. Segura had a disappointing first season in Philadelphia, with lackluster results and effort at times in a city without much brotherly love for him.

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If Philadelphia now sees it as a mistake and wants to make a Bryce Harper-Bryant team finally happen (on the south side of Philly no less), perhaps they make a major play for the former MVP. Starting with Segura going back to the Cubs as a regular starter up the middle (at second, most likely with Javier Baez at shortstop), and then adding their best pitching prospect in Spencer Howard, Philly could complete the deal by sending back some extra cash to offset the Segura deal.

How much cash, you ask? Making over $45 million over the next three seasons (including a million dollar buyout for 2023), Segura represents a mistake for the Phillies. In order to rectify said mistake and bring Bryant in, the Phillies would have to be willing to make that number less than eight digits per year for the Cubs. By throwing at least $5 million at the Cubs for each of the remaining year, they give the Cubs a starting infielder at a bargain $8-10 million per year for the next three seasons.

If the Cubs can somehow harness the guy who had a monster 5 fWAR 2016 season for the Diamondbacks, Segura might just find the North Side to be very friendly confines.

Chicago Cubs: Another Bryant proposal for your viewing pleasure

As mentioned earlier, Bryant has to be the guy most likely to land on an NL East team from the Cubs. The Atlanta Braves have a quality team and they desperately need a third baseman. While rumors have connected them to Josh Donaldson, with many even presenting the Braves as the frontrunner for his services, Donaldson hasn’t signed yet and he’s supposedly asking for $110 million.

If teams don’t want to commit nine figures to a 34-year-old, it’s understandable, however the guy has put up at least 5 fWAR in six of the past seven years. The Braves, especially, would understand what a 34-year-old third baseman could give them as they had Donaldson last season, but Bryant isn’t even 30 yet, so it’s a no-brainer to go with the younger stud third baseman here.

In order to make this happen, there are going to have to be some major moving parts. Lots of trade speculation out there has Max Fried and Ender Inciarte coming back to the Cubs, and while that makes a lot of sense as the Cubs get a center fielder and young starting pitcher, I’d like to make this trade a little bit more of a big deal. The Braves have one of the deepest systems in the sport, with five of the top 63 prospects according to MLB Pipeline.

My deal starts with Fried, but also includes two of those prospects –  outfielder Drew Waters, and pitcher Ian Anderson (do you think he’s an Aqualung fan?). To offset the prospect haul the Cubs would include some untapped potential of their own in outfielder and utility guy Ian Happ. If saving money is what the Cubs truly covet for this offseason, this deal is the one for them – a deal that gives them over $20 million in cost savings for 2020. And, despite the sting of losing a franchise player and MVP, it could work out alright in a couple of years.

With four of the six major league divisions down, the most compelling and difficult-to-trade-with division is next up in the divisional trade series – the Cubs own, the NL Central.