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Cubs Trade Rumors: Which current players should be moved at the deadline?
With the trade deadline approaching, will Theo Epstein risk moving a player on the current roster?
We are officially heading into the final hours of today’s 4 pm trade deadline as we wait to see what moves Theo Epstein will make–if any at all. On Sunday, the Cubs acquired designated hitter Jose Martinez from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for two players to be named later. So is that it?
The Martinez move is solid and makes sense, as the Cubs add depth to their roster with a player who is a career .319 hitter against left-handed pitching. This trade highlights the type of moves most are saying Epstein is likely to make during this year’s deadline–cheap and not aggressive, but still kind of useful.
Right now, the Cubs (20-14) are sitting atop the NL Central with a 3 1/2 game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals (12-13). While they haven’t played their best baseball, they find themselves leading the division with 26 games to be played. One would think, if the first-place Cubs were to address the issues we have seen thus far, they would indeed become a force to be reckoned with come playoff time.
The trade for Martinez solves one piece of this 2020 Cubs’ puzzle, but there are a few more areas the team can improve on: a true leadoff man, another starting pitcher, and one or more bullpen arms.
Now here is the big question that comes with the trade deadline–what are the Cubs willing to give up?
The farm system has been virtually depleted with trades made in the past few seasons. Currently, the Cubs have a handful of players towards the back-end of the MLB.com top 100 prospect list: Brailyn Marquez, LHP (No. 68), Brennen Davis, OF (No. 78), Miguel Amaya, C (No. 95).
They are most likely not the type of players to single-handedly bring in a big name, but they could be part of a package deal should Epstein go that route.
The other option would be to part ways with some proven MLB-ready talent on the current roster. Earlier this week, one of our contributors brought up the possibility of dangling David Bote as trade bait.
If Epstein chooses to roll the dice later today, there could be a few other current Cubs traded to shake the team up, putting them in a “win now” mode for the 2020 season.
This is the best we have seen Ian Happ play in a Cubs’ uniform. Would he be worth moving if it means high-end talent in return?
It took a few seasons, but it looks like we are finally seeing the form of Ian Happ we have been waiting for. Through 33 games played this season, Happ is slashing a career-best .288/.417/.577 with seven home runs,17 RBI and a .994 OPS. Coming off a two-home run performance in Sunday’s win over the Reds, the timing of today’s trade deadline could not be more perfect to deal Happ.
You might be wondering, why on Earth would the Cubs trade the guy who has been their best hitter this season? Well, it is for that reason exactly. Happ has been the most consistent Cub during this shortened 2020 season and has put up the best numbers during his fourth year in the big leagues.
At just 25 years old, Happ will have a lot of upside for teams around the league. Not to mention, he will not be eligible to become a free agent until the 2024 season.
Is this upside worth the Cubs hanging onto? Happ has gone through hot-and-cold stretches during his time at the MLB level. During his inaugural season in 2017, the outfielder hit 24 home runs and drove in 68 runs. Since then, Happ has struggled to find consistency and spent the majority of last season in Iowa before being called up to play in 58 games where he showed some improvement: .264 AVG 11 HR, 30 RBI.
Now I would not just trade Happ for nothing. If he is dealt, it would have to be in a deal, which improves the current roster into an immediate World Series contender.
In the future, could Happ end up being even better than what we’ve seen so far this season? Absolutely, but we were saying the same things about the likes of Addison Russell and other players who did not evolve as we hoped in recent years, and now the team is in a tough spot moving forward.
A few of these players are still on the current roster.
The struggling Albert Almora Jr. cannot seem to find much playing time these days, so maybe he should be moved while he still has some value left.
As previously mentioned, there are a few current Cubs players who we thought would be the future of the team for years to come, but they just are not improving as we hoped. One that comes to mind in regards to this is Albert Almora Jr.
The outfielder has been one of the best defenders in the game since making his debut in 2016 but has not been able to figure it out at the plate, especially in the past two seasons. Almora struggled to find consistency, and it has shown during the 2020 campaign: .167/.265/.200 with a .465 OPS in 34 plate appearances this season.
David Ross made it clear from the start he would have a short leash with the struggling outfielder who now shows up as a defensive replacement late in games and occasionally makes a spot start. This role makes it hard to believe he can turn it around in the remaining 26 games and will likely need a fresh start somewhere else to revive his bat.
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It would be hard to determine what precisely the Cubs could get for Almora at this point. At just 26 years old, and unable to become a free agent until the 2023 season, there could still be some upside for teams who would like to take a shot.
Almora’s best season came in 2017, where he slashed .298/.338/.782 with eight home runs, 46 RBI to go along with a .782 OPS. The outfielder hit .277 the previous season in 47 games and .286 in 152 games during the 2018 season. This, combined with some spectacular play in the outfield, makes what we have seen recently, such a disappointment for a player many thought would take his game to the next level.
If the Cubs hang on to Happ (free agent 2024), Heyward (free agent 2024), and Schwarber (free agent 2022), there may not be any room for Almora to get playing time and make necessary improvements at the plate, not just this season, but moving forward as well.
If this is the case, is he worth holding onto as he continues to struggle on the bench?
The Cubs could get an excellent return and still have a solid infield if they chose to trade Nico Hoerner at the deadline.
Of all the current players on this Cubs roster, one that arguably has the highest ceiling is the team’s youngest player, Nico Hoerner. This could make him a valuable trade asset if Theo Epstein chooses to deal the infielder in a big deadline deal. Hoerner has shown he has what it takes to be a solid defender at the big league level, but could still improve as a hitter.
After a hot-start, Hoerner has cooled off and is currently sporting a line of .227/.321/.258 with 10 RBI and a .578 OPS in 78 plate appearances this season. One has to remember Hoerner is just 23-years old and has yet to play through a full MLB season, so there is still plenty of room for improvement in his game.
The Stanford product has shown flashes of why he is considered one of the best prospects in the league. After a late-season call-up, last season Hoerner was a bright spot in the Cubs’ late-season attempt to reach the postseason: .282/.305/.436 with three home runs, 17 RBI with a .741 OPS in 82 plate appearances.
Currently, the rotation of the Cubs infield consists of Hoerner, Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, David Bote, and Jason Kipnis. The team is still awaiting the return of Kris Bryant, who is currently on the 10-day IL. Assuming Bryant can stay healthy down the stretch, Epstein could afford to move the likes of Hoerner, which leaves David Ross to use Kipnis and Bote as he sees fit at second base.
Next. Do the Cubs go all-in for the 2020 season?. dark
I’m just spitballing ideas here, but if Epstein is looking to win now in 2020, trading Hoerner still leaves the team with infield depth and the possibility of bringing in a player or two to improve the current roster.
At the moment, Hoerner looks to be a piece of the Cubs’ future, so it would certainly be a risk, but if you plan on winning it all, sometimes a chance is necessary.