Cubs: 3 players who could still traded by Opening Day

Cubs could turn around and flip Zach Davies as a cost-controlled starter

Last year, Zach Davies really put it all together for the first time, playing a critical role in the Padres starting rotation. The soft-tossing right-hander made a dozen starts, working to a career-low 2.73 ERA and 1.067 WHIP in 69 1/3 innings of work.

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He came to Chicago in the Yu Darvish trade this winter, notably as the only big league asset coming the other way in that deal. Davies seems likely to be the team’s number two starter behind Kyle Hendricks right now, but you can definitely make the case he has as much or even more value to the team as a trade chip.

The soon-to-be 28-year-old is in his final year of team control and will make a very palatable $8.63 million this season. There are plenty of teams looking for answers on the pitching side of the equation and if the Cubs are as hellbent on thinking long-term as they seem to be, trading Davies makes a ton of sense.

Some teams known to be looking for arms include the Tampa Bay Rays, who were in on Jameson Taillon before he was dealt to the Bronx and the Mets – who could, at least in theory, still be in on Trevor Bauer. They have been checking on on next-tier names lately, including recent Cubs addition Trevor Williams.