Chicago Cubs: 10 bats to target as MLB trade deadline looms

Chicago Cubs: 10 bats to target at the trade deadline: #6 – Mitch Haniger

Heading back to the big leagues for our #6 bat the Chicago Cubs should target, we land on Mitch Haniger. Seattle is actually having somewhat of a good rebound year, sitting at 53-46, seven games back in the AL West but only 2 1/2 back in the wild card race. Haniger is currently slashing .262/.319/.506. However, his average would most likely be higher as he is currently not hitting well in Seattle. Let’s take a glance at a couple splits :

• At home in 2021: .231/.283/.434 with a wOBA of .307, an ISO of .203 and a wRC+ of 102. He also has a walk rate of 5.6 percent and strike out rate of 25.8 percent in Seattle this season.
• On the road in 2021: .294/.355/.578 with a wOBA of .393, an ISO of .283 and a wRC+ of 152. He also has a higher walk rate of 8.0 percent while lowering his strike out rate to 21 percent on the road.

Can we please bring him to Wrigley so he can smash home runs and doubles Nick Castellanos style? The only thing that worries me about Haniger is that teams will be looking to up the ante and outbid the Cubs for his services. Hoyer will not be looking to buy and get into a bidding war, but if Haniger can manage to fly under the radar a little, he is absolutely worth putting together a package for.

Even if they are reluctant to move him, the Mariners know his best trade value will be right now. He currently earns $3,010,000 in his second year of arbitration. Therefore, he has another year of team control before free agency next offseason.