Chicago Cubs Rumors: Two CF Trade Candidates this winter

The offseason is in full swing. As the coming days approach, trade rumors will seriously start to heat up for the Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball.

For the Cubs, it's a league-wide expectation that the club will have an aggressive approach this winter in regard to free agency. With several ties to Jose Abreu, a key shortstop and a front-line starting pitcher, the Cubs also have another need they must address and that is figuring out what to do about center field this winter.

After a miserable injury has threatened to cripple Alexander Canario's 2023 campaign. With recurring back issues for Brennen Davis, the Cubs will need to get clever in order to address their centerfield need. In the best-case scenario, Cody Bellinger winds up getting non-tendered by the Dodgers and the Cubs swoop in and offer him a deal in order to restock his value. We've already discussed the Cubs' flexibility in regard to these shorter deals and the ability to pay top dollar to get what they want.

The Chicago Cubs are expected to add a centerfielder this offseason.

Another option is Kevin Kiermeier. Kiermeir is a defensive-minded centerfield candidate and shouldn't be viewed as an addition to improve the offense. It would be nice to land some upside offensively here with the centerfield upgrade. However, a defensive-oriented approach works fine if the Cubs are planning to get aggressive with a shortstop, 1st baseman, and starting pitcher additions. The Cubs could hypothetically do all four including Bellinger if non-tendered.

Another option is exploring the trade market for that missing piece in the outfield without blocking your top outfield prospects. Let's look at 2 moves the Cubs could make to fill a hole for the coming year or two.

Second trade scenario: Cubs deal with Minnesota for Max Kepler

Sticking with the "Slide Seiya Suzuki to CF and trade for a left-handed power bat" theme, we come to Max Kepler, who has been a mainstay with the Minnesota Twins throughout the duration of his career.

Set to make 8.5MM this season, nearly 2 million higher than last year, Kepler comes with a club option for 2024. It was only earlier this year that Kepler was discussed as a potential trade chip for a Minnesota Twins team that was set to "reload" before landing Carlos Correa. In short, Minnesota opted to keep Kepler and he wound up having another down year. Albeit slightly improved, but down nevertheless.

For 2022, he slashed .227/.318/.348 with just 9 home runs and 43 RBIs. His 115 games played was due to missing some time with a toe fracture and wrist sprain. Not necessarily injuries that happen frequently, but the wrist in particular can help explain the lack of power. Kepler has recorded decent seasons throughout his career such as in 2019 when he hit 36 bombs with 90 driven in while landing in the top 20 of MVP voting. For the Cubs, It's not about landing a stud in the outfield.

The primary needs offensively come in the form of a first baseman (Abreu, Bell, Mancini?) and a shortstop (Already seems to be narrowing down to Bogaerts or Swanson?). The outfield position should be thought of as nothing more than something that bridges the gap for the next year or two before the prospects make their way up to the majors. If the Cubs can land a guy with some offensive upside for under 10.0MM and save some salary for the bigger fish, I'm all for it. It shouldn't take much to acquire either of the aforementioned via trade.