Chicago Cubs Rumors: 3 trade candidates to free up 40-man roster

Chicago Cubs v Miami Marlins
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Alfonso Rivas
Chicago Cubs v Miami Marlins | Megan Briggs/GettyImages

Three trade candidates - 2. Alfonso Rivas

Alfonso Rivas comes in at number two because we know the Cubs plan to give Matt Mervis a shot as a left-handed first baseman. With further reports indicating that Cubs even want to platoon a righty with Mervis to transition him into MLB life gradually, Rivas becomes the odd man out. You don't want to have to DFA Rivas altogether, and getting something in return could be in the form of trade via Sean Murphy if the Cubs do indeed go that route.

In 2021, Rivas recorded a .318/.388/.409 in a small sample size of 44 ABs. The number dropped dramatically in 2022 with a slash of just .235/.322/.307 in 251 ABs, but in 101 games that he appeared in, it's safe to say he never really got a chance to get into that much of a long-term rhythm at the major league level. In Triple-A Iowa however, Rivas slashed .298/.368/.415. Hopefully, the Cubs can get something in return for him via trade. He has 2 options remaining.

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