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3 trade deadline targets the Chicago Cubs should go after
We already know the Chicago Cubs will be buyers this season at the MLB trade deadline on August 1st. Primarily, the Cubs are looking for relievers and an impact bat. We also have already learned the team's front office is interested in both Jeimer Candelario of the Washington Nationals and David Bednar, the closer, from the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, the Cubs were also loosely connected to Colorado Rockies first baseman CJ Cron, and he flew off the board yesterday without much notice, serving as a reminder that the teams in MLB that are selling aren't just waiting around for the Cubs to make decisions if they get a good offer.
Therefore, the Cubs can ill afford to sit idly, thinking no one will pick up Candelario or Bednar. They must get aggressive and get their guy like these other teams do. Let's look at three players the Cubs can circle on their wishlist that they can go after should they miss on their two primary targets already discussed.
3 trade deadline targets - 3. Kyle Finnigan (Washington Nationals)
Keeping with the idea of the Washington Nationals here, Kyle Finnigan is another bullpen the Cubs can target. Given that the Cubs are interested in David Bednar and his three years of team control remaining before free agency, it appears the Cubs are willing to shell out what it takes for a player that can be part of the team's future and not just be utilized as a rental for the remainder of the 2023 season.
Finnigan still has this year and two years of arbitration before hitting the market. His numbers don't fly off the page quite as much as Bednar, but he is still posting a more than respectable 3.07 ERA in 44.0 innings of work this season. With interest already brewing in third baseman Canderlario, the Cubs could work out a deal, do all their shopping with one team, and acquire Candelario and a solid reliever in Finnigan. The Nationals are interested in acquiring prospects and rebuilding their farm, as we saw last season with the Juan Soto sweepstakes. The Nats are still in last place this year, so there's no reason to believe there won't be more of the same.
3 trade deadline targets - 2. Daniel Bard (Colorado Rockies)
With more teams making the playoffs based on CBA agreements, more teams are going for it and aren't as prone to sell off their assets at the deadline. In the National League alone, a staggering ten teams out of 15 are in a playoff or within five games of a Wild Card spot. One team that is not is the Colorado Rockies, as evidenced by the trade with the Los Angeles Angels tonight, which included both CJ Cron and Randal Grichuk. Now, Colorado may be looking to fire sale, and if they move bullpen pieces, a perfect fit with the Cubs would be for reliever Daniel Bard.
With another year under contract, after the 2023 season concludes, Bard's steep price tag of 9.5M AAV may be enough to drive most teams away. Therefore, If the Cubs are willing to take him on financially, they may get away with not having to give up quite as much as they necessarily would for other players. Bard is having a solid season in Colorado, and I've written about him here. Currently, he has a 2.97 ERA and immediately slots into the backend of the Cubs' bullpen if acquired.
3 trade deadline targets - 1. Jeimer Candelario
Although he is aforementioned, it's essential to understand that Candelario should be the main offensive target for the Cubs at the deadline. The first matter to discuss is his bat, in which he slashes .258/.342/.481 with 16 HRs, 53 RBIs, and 30 doubles. According to Fangraphs, Candelario has a 3.0 WAR already on the season and a 121 wRC+. With as good as the Cubs' offense has been since the All-Star break, Candelario would immediately slide into the 4th best hitter on the team in terms of wRC+, providing an instant jolt to the lineup. But offense is not the only area of need that he fills.
Sticking with Jed Hoyer's plan of an elite defense, Candelario's ability to play 3rd base well shores up a gaping hole for the Cubs defensively. He currently sits 3rd in Outs Above Average (6), Runs prevented leaders (4) in the National League, and 5th overall in MLB. His defense at the hot corner, along with Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner, and Cody Bellinger, who's playing first base lately, gives the Cubs an elite infield defense. This is one move the Cubs front office can't let itself get outbid on, and they have the pieces to approach the situation with Finnigan and Candelario the same way the Angels did with the Rockies.
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