5 Potential Cubs Trade Targets
The trade deadline is still two and a half months away, and a lot can happen in those two months. With the Chicago Cubs sporting a disappointing 18-19 record, they are beginning to look more like sellers than buyers. But this team is still too talented to be average, and perhaps a shakeup earlier, rather than later, is in order.
The only problem with trading in May or June, as opposed to July, is, you are paying a hefty price for rentals. The counter argument to that is, if they don’t do something soon, the season may be over. I’m not going to paint a room and gloom picture, there are other articles for that, but this roster is in need of a wake-up call – fast.
Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer have been very open about their desire to add pitching, all the time. They have also been open about the need to add a pitcher that will remain with the team for several years. They can certainly continue to trade for rentals, with the belief that when you are able to compete every season is sacred, but eventually, the cupboard runs bare.
Here are a few guys that would be able to deliver that wake-up call.
Jose Quintana
Jose Quintana has been the biggest, bad luck pitcher in baseball since 2013. Consistently in the top 10 in American League ERA, the Chicago White Sox just haven’t scored enough behind him. With the team already trading ace Chris Sale, Quintana has been shopped around to any team that would listen – including the Cubs.
When Theo Epstein recently visited with Mully and Hanley, he said there was a conversation about Sale, and it lasted 30 seconds. With the White Sox reportedly trying for an equally big splash for Jose, a deal hasn’t seemed likely. Not because the two teams won’t trade with each other, regardless of what Jerry Reinsdorf says, but because the names were too big. Perhaps after a month of both Quintana and the Cubs underperforming, price tags go down and there isn’t as much of a reluctance to trade big names.
Which names do you ask? Perhaps a Kyle Schwarber and Javy Baez and a minor leaguer. At least that’s what Phil Rogers of MLB.com thinks. He also joined the AM-670 guys and talked baseball, including potential Cubs trades. It was in this interview where he mentions that the Cubs, including Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer, might be tiring with the pair. It isn’t due to the lack of offense, at least not to this point, but rather the defensive liability.
Chris Archer
This seems to of been a rumor for a long time now, almost since the Cubs sent him to Tampa. Chris Archer is attractive for several reasons, but the ones that Trump them all are – he’s good and controlled for a long time.
In fact, Archer has one more controllable year than Chicago White Sox hurler, Jose Quintana – and is cheaper.
The problem is because Archer is controlled until the 2021 season, the Rays are going to ask a fortune for him. They will probably ask for much more than the White Sox are asking for Quintana. We already know the Cubs and the White Sox talked about Jose, and the Cubs weren’t ready to talk Schwarber and Baez and more.
I will say, Schwarber is defined as one of the cornerstones. Trading a cornerstone is an incredibly daunting task. Not only will the team send a huge offensive talent somewhere, they’d also have to deal with the fan backlash from this move. It’s not exactly the same, but there wasn’t a bigger name in Boston sports when Theo traded Nomar Garciaparra to the Cubs in the 2004 season. Coincidently, that deal was made because Boston wished to improve upon their defense as well.
Yu Darvish
The Cubs already benefit from one ex-Texas Ranger in Kyle Hendricks. With the Rangers looking at a 7.5 game hole between them and AL West leader Houston Astros, Yu Darvish could be on the block.
The Cubs have been connected to Darvish since his departure from Japan. It was estimated that the Cubs thought enough of Darvish to float around $40 million posting fee for an opportunity to negotiate with him.
Darvish would be a pure rental, and if the Cubs wanted him in May or June, they’d pay an uplift. While Texas may still have thoughts of competing, they very well could lose Darvish for nothing. Do they see this as an opportunity to flip him for someone like Ian Happ or Jeimer Candelario?
It is a steep price to pay for a one-year rental, but the Cubs paid a bigger price for Aroldis Chapman last season. If you recall, the Cubs sent Adam Warren who they acquired from the Yankees in the Starlin Castro deal. They also sent Rashad Crawford, and highly thought of, Billy McKinney to New York. But the biggest piece was the Cubs top prospect, Gleyber Torres. So if anyone things Happ or Candelario are untouchable, you’re wrong.
Johnny Cueto
The San Francisco Giants season is virtually over. They are 9-games out, and sitting at 15-24 is certainly a disappointment. With Johnny Cueto in the last year of his deal, it’s expected that they seek a partner to pick him up for the remainder of the season.
Johnny is an incredibly talented pitcher and is a top 10 in the league type. Cueto is the type of pitcher that can improve a rotation from the top down, as opposed to beefing up the middle.
Not only would Cueto beef up the Cubs rotation, he is especially dangerous in the post season. The Cubs saw first hand how tough he is to beat in the playoffs, and while the team is struggling now, there is the expectation of playoffs once again.
The price to pay will likely be a big prospect again. Candelario or Happ would be great at AT&T Park. These two are gap hitters, and the spacious outfield would play into their offensive abilities. Or they could look to moving their current top prospect, Eloy Jimenez. Jimenez is the type of offensive weapon the Giants don’t possess but is still years away from the show.
Danny Duffy
While it would be strange for the Kansas City Royals to trade their ace, just four months after giving him an extension, it’s not outrageous to think it could happen. In December the Royals executives had kicked around the idea of trading Danny Duffy. Fearing they may lose Duffy to free agency, the Royals spoke to Houston about a possible deal including the talented pitcher. Since talks stalled, the Royals elected to extend Duffy instead.
The Royals, who have traditionally been a small market, needs to rely on young affordable players to compete. The fact remains, Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Alcides Escobar are all free agents at the end of the season, and the Royals will likely need to rebuild once again. Duffy presents an opportunity to begin that rebuild with a bang.
Now, this would take a major haul I’m sure, but it would be less of a hit than a deal for Quintana or Archer, one would think. Duffy is signed through the 2021 season, but he is owed $14 M in 2018, $15.25 M in 2019 and 20, and then $15.5 M in 2021. The salary is under his value, but it isn’t nearly as much as Archer’s or Quintana’s deals.
The difference between Duffy and the others, World Series experience. That alone could cause him to stand out.
A major reason the Royals may not consider the move – Yordano Ventura. The tragic death of Ventura in January left the once pitching rich Royals, with a major hole in the rotation. As much as one could say about his antics on the mound and tough guy persona, Ventura was one of baseball’s most talented young pitchers.
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