2 trades and 1 signing that turn the Cubs from pretenders to contenders

#3: Help the Padres solve their payroll dilemna and bolster the lineup by trading for infielder Ha-Seong Kim

We talked about this deal as well if the Cubs were to fall out of the running for Chapman. Let’s face it, the Cubs are not really in the running for him to start, especially in this world where they’ve already given $25 million per year to Bellinger so let’s talk about why Kim would be a great addition.

First, he’s an incredible defender. He won the Gold Glove last season as a utility player but the Cubs would use him as their everyday third baseman since they already have a Gold Glove double play combo with Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson. In this scenario the Cubs would have Gold Glove winners everywhere in the infield which is incredibly valuable when you have a groundball focused pitching staff.

Second, he’s in the last year of his deal. He has a player option but at the price that it is it’s unlikely he’d pick it up so his job would essentially be to keep the hot corner warm until Matt Shaw is able to take over in 2025. 

In the original trade we discussed sending James Triantos, Chicago's seventh-best prospect, and a top second best prospect in baseball, as well as the aforementioned Alexander Canario. However, since our previous deal already included Canario the Cubs would have to include a different prospect or multiple. 

Depending on how deep of financial troubles the Padres are in, they could send a younger higher-risk, higher-ceiling player like Alexis or Cristian Hernandez. Or they could send someone like BJ Murray who was the Cubs' 13th-best prospect that hit for great power in Double-A last season and will likely start the year in Iowa.

WHAT'S THE MOVE? Trade INF James Triantos and INF BJ Murray for INF Ha Seong Kim

If the Cubs were to complete these three deals they wouldn’t be mortgaging the future, thanks to the tremendous depth Jed Hoyer has assembled in recent years at every level of the farm system.

These deals would give the Cubs veteran leadership in the rotation, an anchor at the back of the bullpen, flexibility in the lineup with their young stars and the best defensive lineup that baseball has seen in the last decade, all while staying below the Competitive Balance Tax.