Cubs fan dreams up trade deadline chaos (and it’s hilariously bad)

Former MLB general manager and current insider for The Athletic, Jim Bowden, managed to find something more outrageous than his own trade proposals--proposals submitted by fans ahead of the MLB trade deadline. That was the exercise Bowden had during his latest piece for The Athletic, and it included a wild trade suggestion for the Chicago Cubs.

The funniest part about this trade proposal is not that the Cubs are giving up two of their top five prospects for Mitch Keller and a Pirates' relief pitcher not named David Bednar, but that Bowden thinks this is a deal that both teams would be willing to make.

"Both teams say yes. This trade idea just makes too much sense for both sides. The Cubs get the starter they need and a usable southpaw for the bullpen. The Pirates add two outfield prospects who could help their lineup immediately."

One Cubs fan just made a trade proposal fans can't stop laughing at

This trade makes absolutely no sense for the Cubs. There simply isn't a scenario where the Cubs, unless it's for MacKenzie Gore of the Washington Nationals or Joe Ryan of the Minnesota Twins, would be willing to give up both Owen Caissie and Kevin Alcantara in the same deal. Especially for a pitcher in Keller who does not have the ceiling of a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher. And even more so when the relief pitcher the Cubs are adding is not named Bednar and is a free agent after this season.

Bowden may not have crafted this trade proposal, but the fact that he thinks the Cubs would make this trade is just further confirmation of why he is no longer employed by a Major League Baseball team.

As the deadline approaches, it feels like Keller is the fallback option for the Cubs. Edward Cabrera of the Miami Marlins feels like the top target for the Cubs, but if they can't reach a deal, circling back to Keller may be the most likely scenario. Perhaps that is when the Cubs would be willing to include Caissie in a deal with the Pirates, but it certainly won't be for a deal like the one Bowden green-lighted.

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