Chicago Cubs: This AL powerhouse might be a perfect trade partner

The Chicago Cubs have made it no secret that they are planning to sell, and they aren’t waiting around to make deals. The team has several obvious chips to sell off (Craig Kimbrel, Andrew Chafin, Ryan Tepera, Kris Bryant) and some that are less likely, but not impossible (Kyle Hendricks, Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, Willson Contreras). With all of these names on the block, a team that could be a suitor for almost all of them is the Houston Astros.

The Astros obviously won’t make a move for Baez or Rizzo, but the rest of the names listed make sense for them. Houston could be perfect trade partners for the Cubs, not just for the purpose of roster needs but financials as well. While Jed Hoyer might be willing to pay down on some contracts to get better returns, they definitely would prefer not, and the Astros are operating free of restrictions and will be more than willing to take on the money.

On the year, Houston sit 20 games above .500 at 56-36, good for first place in the AL West. Still, they have just 3 1/2 games of breathing room between themselves and the second-place Athletics, so adding some reinforcements for the stretch run makes a lot of sense.