5 colossal trade chips in the impending Chicago Cubs fire sale

Chicago Cubs: Craig Kimbrel is an unbelievably valuable trade chip

It sounds strange, but the guy who is the newest Cub and the same guy who was the least valuable of the bunch about 10 months ago might just be the most valuable now should the team decide to start unloading players in the next couple weeks.

Given his production so far this season and value in late-game situations, Craig Kimbrel may just land the Cubs a high-value prospect from a contending team that wants to lock things down at the end of games on a consistent basis. The way Kimbrel has thrown the ball this year, he has to be one of the most attractive trade options for nearly every contending team who needs end of game help.

Kimbrel hasn’t just been good this year, he’s been the most valuable reliever in all of baseball at 1.7 fWAR and it’s not like no one has noticed. With Kimbrel dangling like his right arm in the set as an asset, the Cubs might be able to ask for a young top-of-rotation arm or top prospect bat if a team feels the flame-throwing righthander might put them over the top in the same way Aroldis Chapman did with the Cubs five years ago.

Whatever ends up happening and whoever ends up getting traded here in the next couple weeks, it’s going to be an emotional and franchise-altering time; let’s just hope this “window” closes only to open another… or something like that.