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

Three trade candidates - 1. P.J. Higgins

Last but not least, we come to P.J. Higgins. Accruing just over a year of service time at the major league level, Higgins serves as a catcher, third baseman, and first baseman. If the Cubs get a catcher this winter, Higgins' time in Chicago is quite bleak. With Yan Gomes in the mix and Miguel Amaya getting healthier, the Cubs won't keep four catchers on the 40-man roster. Therefore, trading him as part of a package for a catcher makes all the sense in the world for both Chicago and Oakland.

Higgins slashed just .229/.310/.383 in 201 ABs for the Cubs this season. He has the versatility to be plugged into a fill-in role on a major league team when needed. None of the aforementioned players are the focus of any potential trade in this scenario. Still, hopefully, guys Jed Hoyer can sneak into a trade package to remove them off the 40-man roster and get anything in return without having to DFA players altogether. With all the swirling reports since last night, we expect the next 48 hours to be completely nuts for the Chicago Cubs.