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: #3 – Oakland Athletics

There was some speculation earlier in the season that Oakland’s elite closer Trevor Rosenthal could make his way back to the mound come August. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case as Rosenthal has opted to have season-ending hip surgery instead.

Nevertheless, the Athletics have found themselves in a spot just 3 1/2 games back in a race with Houston atop the AL West. Lou Trivino has stepped in nicely for Oakland to the tune of a 1.84 ERA, and 3.69 FIP en route to 14 saves on the year. But, to me, Oakland is a contender that needs something to get them over that hump. Could Kimbrel be the answer?

Oakland’s bullpen, minus Trivino, has been middle of the pack. An All-Star presence such as Kimbrel could be just the remedy to help hold onto leads going into the later innings by shifting Trivino back to a setup role with Kimbrel coming in to slam the door in the ninth. With the recent news of Rosenthal not returning this season, I am confident David Forst will be one of many GMs making a phone call to Jed Hoyer to check on the price tag of Kimbrel.

Though, Oakland will most likely need to add a piece of the main roster with a farm system that ranks in the bottom third of the league.

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.