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5 Chicago Cubs trade proposals our readers think need to happen this off-season

The Chicago Cubs are expected to be active on the trade front this off-season and we asked our readers for their best trade ideas.

By Jordan Campbell |
Sep 30, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; San Diego Padres left fielder Juan Soto (22) watches his
Sep 30, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; San Diego Padres left fielder Juan Soto (22) watches his / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
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There is an expectation that the Chicago Cubs will make a blockbuster trade at some point this off-season and the team has been linked to the likes of Juan Soto, Pete Alonso, and Tyler Glasnow throughout the first part of the off-season.

The timing certainly feels right for the Cubs to make a big trade as their farm system now ranks among the best in all of Major League Baseball and the team is entering the 2024 season with the expectation that they will contend.

With the MLB Winter Meetings less than two weeks away, we asked our readers to submit their trade proposals for the moves that the team has to make.

In this deal, the Cubs address their need for a late-inning relief pitcher by acquiring right-hander Hunter Harvey in exchange for middle infield prospect James Triantos.

Triantos finished the season as the Cubs' ninth overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline. It would seem that Triantos is on a path toward becoming one of the top prospects in the Cubs' system. Triantos slashed .285/.363/.390 with a wRC+ of 115 in High Class-A last season. Triantos finished the season with a brief stint at the Double-A level and slashed .333/.385/.417 with a wRC+ of 119 in 13 plate appearances.

Harvey has quietly become one of Major League Baseball's most effective relievers after posting an ERA under 3 in each of the past two seasons. Harvey is also under team control for the next two seasons.

Chicago Cubs Trade Grade: C+, on the surface, this is not a bad trade for the Cubs but if the team is going to part with Triantos, it likely will be for a superstar talent such as Juan Soto.

The Chicago Cubs address their need for a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher by acquiring Shane Bieber from the Cleveland Guardians for Javier Assad, Patrick Wisdom, and Matt Mervis.

Bieber is a free agent after the 2024 season and after entertaining trade offers at the Major League Baseball trade deadline this past season, there has been speculation that the Guardians may look to move their ace this off-season.

The package is being carried by Assad given the success that he had as part of the starting rotation this past season. Having said that, the Cubs would need to offer much more to Guardians if they were to acquire Bieber.

Chicago Cubs Trade Grade: A, the Cubs would likely make this deal in a heartbeat but this is the type of trade that highlights the difference in logic between the video game, MLB The Show, and real life as there is no way that Guardians say yes to this deal.

We get to our first Juan Soto Chicago Cubs trade proposal.

Pitching prospect Ben Brown is the highlight of this trade package to the San Diego Padres which also includes Javier Assad and Alexander Canario. In any trade for Soto, it would seem likely that the Cubs will need to part with one of their top pitching prospects in Brown or Cade Horton. The Cubs probably prefer it to be Brown but the ask will likely be Horton. Assad being included in the deal may be a given as the Padres seek cost-controlled starting pitchers.

There likely will be multiple position players included in the Cubs' offer to the Padres but outfielder Alexander Canario is a good start. If the Cubs acquire a big bat such as Soto, Canario's path to consistent playing time at the Major League level is blocked. Top outfield prospect Kevin Alcantara likely will be a candidate to be included in the deal as well.

Chicago Cubs Trade Grade: A, another one of those proposals where the Cubs would be committing highway robbery. The Padres will want more for Soto.

This would be a blockbuster trade for the Cubs as they would acquire a pitcher they can put at the top of their rotation in Shane Bieber and stabilize the backend of their bullpen with Emmanuel Clase.

The Guardians love to acquire pitching and they do receive a healthy offering of Javier Assad, Ben Brown, and Hayden Wesneski. Assad and Brown likely would be able to start the 2024 season in the Guardians' rotation.

It would seem that if the Cubs do trade Christopher Morel this off-season, it will be for pitching. While trading Morel for one season of Pete Alonso makes little sense, there would be value in the Cubs having a closer in Clase that has the potential to be under team control through 2028.

Chicago Cubs Trade Grade: B, this is an intriguing deal for the Cubs but Clase saw some regression ins his strikeout percentage this past season so that could be a concern.

What a massive trade this would be as the Cubs would, in theory, land their ace in George Kirby, who is under team control until 2029.

Kirby was phenomenal in his sophomore season as he posted a 4.4 fWAR with 120 ERA+ in 31 starts for the Seattle Mariners. Given Kirby's trajectory, they would need to get a haul and this was a unique way to accomplish that.

For as much of a ceiling that Kirby has, including both Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kevin Alcantara likely would be a steep ask of the Cubs. One of the Cubs' two top outfield prospects would have to be included in this deal and it's likely that if Brown is the pitching prospect, the Cubs would need to add one more from the group of Jordan Wicks, Javier Assad, and Hayden Wesneski.

Chicago Cubs Trade: D, this would be a fun trade and Kirby certainly would be a great addition to the starting rotation but including both Crow-Armstrong and Alcantara seems like an overpay in terms of the headline piece of the package.

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