Top 10 Chicago Cubs trade candidates, ranked

Chicago Cubs Trade Candidates: #3 – Andrew Chafin

UPDATE: Andrew Chafin was traded to the Oakland Athletics on July 26 in exchange for outfield prospect Greg Diechmann and minor league pitcher Daniel Palencia.

A trade of Andrew Chafin would subtract from arguably this team’s biggest strength: its bullpen. But, the thinking here is right in line with what I said about Tepera – and could also be applied to someone like Brad Wieck, as well.

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Chafin has quickly become a fan favorite on the North Side – and not just for his outstanding facial hair, either. The veteran southpaw has made a team-leading 39 appearances on the year and boasts a 1.43 ERA that’s second only to All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel, who we’ll talk about here shortly.

The former Arizona hurler isn’t one of those guys who shuts down innings by racking up the strikeouts. He sticks to what he does best: keeping the ball in the yard and limiting hard contact. Clearly, that’s a recipe for success for the 31-year-old.

He’s limited opponents to a .185 average this season, largely thanks to his heavy sinker, which he throws almost half the time. Chafin ranks in the top 10 percent of the league in almost every metric, ranging from average exit velocity and hard hit rate to xwOBA and xERA.

All this to say a left-handed reliever who’s at the top of his game is valuable – especially to a team destined for the postseason. Expect to hear plenty of chatter surrounding Chafin leading up to the deadline.