Chicago Cubs rumors: 3 potential trades to acquire Sean Murphy

Trade 3) Cubs trade Chase Strumpf, Alexander Canario and Drew Gray

Chase Strumpf was drafted in the first round of the 2019 draft. This trade scenario is dependent on Strumpf not being picked in the rule 5 draft. However, I do not think he will because he is not major league-ready. Since being drafted, he has just not produced. He has a career minor league batting average of .235, but 2022 was his best power year. He hit 21 home runs and drove in 57. The problem with Strumpf is his strikeouts. He struck out 162 times in double-A this past season. The hope here is that the Athletics see the potential and a change in scenery will help Strumpf develop better.

Alexander Canario came to the Cubs in the Kris Bryant trade with San Francisco. In 2022, Canario exhibited some big-time power. He launched 37 home runs across three levels in the minors. In 125 games played in 2022, he struck out 147 times. However, with that power, you can accept the strikeouts. Canario will have to prove he can repeat that season. The Athletics might find this appealing. The potential with Canario is there but there may be reason for caution as he is expected to miss most of the 2023 season recovering from shoulder and ankle surgeries.

Drew Gray might be a name you have not heard and that is because he is just 19 years old. He was drafted out of high school in 2021. However, he had to get Tommy John surgery almost immediately and missed the entire 2022 season. In his 4 innings pitched in 2021, he struck out 9. An extremely small sample size, but it does show how good his stuff was before the surgery. He also made a jump in velocity with his fastball touching 95. He still has some stuff to clean up in his delivery according to scouts, but he is only 19 and has plenty of time to develop. The Cubs are in win-now mode (so we think), and Drew Gray is still at least 3-4 years out from being ready. If the Cubs want to land a catcher that can help them win now, they will have to get rid of some young talent.