Chicago Cubs: 3 possible trade candidates heading into the winter

The Chicago Cubs are in the calm before the storm in terms of the craziness set to ensue in free agency this winter. President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer and newly appointed General Manager Carter Hawkins will have their work cut out for them. It is imperative to get a plan in place before the postseason ends and everyone is up for grabs.

With the World Series matchup set between the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros, it won’t be long until all eyes are on the Cubs and particularly, Tom Ricketts, as he ultimately decides how much there is to spend on free agents, who to pay and how much… and perhaps who to trade?

After Ricketts decided not to open the checkbook and extend any of the Cubs core and Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez were traded away in a span of 24 heart-breaking hours, fans saw the ugly side of what the trade market can do. On the plus side, those moves freed up a lot of salary for the Cubs, but that is a conversation for another time.

It is important to not forget this winter that just because the Ricketts’ plan to spend again, doesn’t mean you should forget about how else the team, or the organization as a whole can be improved. The trade market also could be booming once again and the Cubs once again have guys on either expiring contracts, or new faces that are still on cost-effective contracts that have played well this year and earned themselves some trade value.

Though we will mainly be distracted by free agency this winter, we need to keep an eye on our current roster and who could be moved in an attempt to bolster the farm while dumping contracts the way the core was moved this year during the trade deadline. Let’s take a look at three players on the current roster whose trade value is now much higher for different reasons.