Chicago Cubs: 3 players that could be moved before the Trade Deadline

3 Chicago Cubs who could be traded before the deadline: #1: David Bote

David Bote was recently listed as one of the league’s top bounceback candidates, but it’s more because of how bad he was in 2021 than the promise he shows moving forward.

After Theo Epstein gifted him a five-year, $25 million contract, Bote just hasn’t lived up to it – and this past year really drove that point home. We know his shoulder injury was a factor, but there was no stretch – even prior to the injury – where he was solid at the plate. Now, recovering from shoulder surgery, he’s expected to miss the start of 2022, as well.

So if Bote returns and is tearing the cover off the ball, it’s conceivable Hoyer looks to dump the remaining money left on his deal (he’s owed roughly $12 million over the next three seasons and has a pair of $7 million team options tacked on the back end of that, as well).

The peripherals have always suggested plenty of promise with Bote, but the results have rarely translated. We know the front office is looking to keep things as clean as possible when it comes to payroll, so if they can get out from under this holdover contract from the Epstein years, it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see them pull the trigger.