Chicago Cubs: 3 potential (and 1 surprising) Craig Kimbrel trade partners

We are now only 2 1/2 weeks away from the trade deadline. You can bet Jed Hoyer’s phone will start to ring more and more. Who all is in the mix in terms of most value when it comes to the Chicago Cubs? It is no longer a secret that everybody is available – for the right price. However, there is one man who is at the top of everybody’s wish list: Craig Kimbrel.

To put it simply, the Cubs closer is simply unhittable right now. Kimbrel owns a 0.57 ERA, 1.11 FIP, a top tier 15.3 K/9 and a miniscule 0.66 WHIP equating to a 2.0 WAR on the season. These are the type of Hall of Fame numbers that only the most elite in the history of the sport put up. So it only makes sense that Kimbrel has become the most sought-after trade chip on the market after Hoyer openly admitted the Cubs will, in fact, be prepared to sell.

There is nothing left to speculate on “if it happens” or “will it happen?” If the Cubs have the opportunity to fully restock their farm with a couple of blockbuster trades at the deadline, they need to pounce right away. It will not only open up the door for trades as buyers in the future, but coupled with the fact that the Cubs have $65,000,000 coming off the books this offseason with an additional $31,000,000 already under the luxury tax threshold, Tom Ricketts could be prepared to spend again as soon as this offseason.

A fully stocked farm and the revenue to buy up multiple big name free agents is the exact recipe a team needs to propel themselves up the ladder of success. This could be what Jed Hoyer means when he says “retool” rather than completely “rebuild.”

With all this in mind, let’s take a look at three of the top teams who will be wanting to utilize Craig Kimbrel’s services and make a deep run into October.

Chicago Cubs – Craig Kimbrel trade destinations: #2 – Los Angeles Dodgers

Really? What don’t the Dodgers have? Well, for one, a first-place record. They find themselves two games back behind the surprising league-best San Francisco Giants.  With that in mind, LA knows the talent it has. They seem to be in the mix every year as a World Series favorite. When healthy, they bolster a rotation of Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, Trevor Bauer and Julio Urias.

Though Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen has been cruising with a 1.24 ERA and 21 saves on the season, too much is never enough for Los Angeles. They had Cody Bellinger in right field, so they added MVP Mookie Betts in right and shifted their former MVP to CF. They went all-in on 2020 Cy Young award winner Trevor Bauer, despite having a strong rotation. With multiple MVPs in the lineup and multiple Cy young winners in the rotation, it would be very on-brand for the Dodgers to go out and pursue an elite closer like Craig Kimbrel simply because they can.

LA is always looking to contend and contend they have. With a +142 run differential, being in second place will certainly not sit well with Dodgers GM Andrew Friedman. The former Rays exec will once again be looking to help LA push past the Giants and into the postseason. They have already blown past the luxury tax threshold but seem to care little. How aggressive Los Angeles plans to be ahead of the deadline remains to be seen.

One thing is for sure, money has never been much of a concern for this team. With an estimated net worth of $3.6 billion, I highly doubt the Dodgers will be frugal and roll over, letting the division slip away without an aggressive push.

Chicago Cubs – Craig Kimbrel trade destinations: #1 – SAN DIEGO PADRES

To be fair, San Diego already boasts a top bullpen in the league. Mark Melancon has a league-leading 27 saves. However, there is reason to believe the Padres will come calling in the coming weeks and that is simply this:

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The Padres are going for it.

Seemingly out of nowhere, San Diego traded for Mike Clevinger and Blake Snell. They also picked up an All-Star closer for pennies on the dollar.  They traded for Joe Musgrove, who threw San Diego’s first-ever no hitter back on April 9. You may also remember a recent trade involving a certain ace from Chicago, Yu Darvish, for players who, besides Zach Davies, I can’t even remember unless I looked it up.

Although Clevinger is out for the season, with Dinelson Lamet and Chris Paddack in the mix, Slam Diego needs to worry very little about the strength of their rotation at the moment. Injuries are always a concern, though, and that could prompt AJ Preller to add to the bullpen this month.

With a lineup of Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Eric Hosmer and the list goes on and on, they also have very little to worry about offensively sitting at a solid +75 run differential.

This “all-in” mentality is exactly why we have placed San Diego at number one our list. If not for anything else, to stop the Dodgers from getting him. Best case scenario, the Padres and the Dodgers get into a bidding war until Hoyer can pull the trigger, which hopefully culminates in a short-term loss for some long-term gains.