Astros beat the Braves last night, drawing the series to a Braves' 3-2 lead and leaving them two chances to win the World Series, while the Astros have to win the game on Tuesday to draw a game 7. Braves in six games is my hope, and an even more ironic thing is that a man (Trevor Plouffe) predicted before the 2021 season started that the Braves would beat the Astros in 6 games in the World Series.
I've discussed a lot of free agents the Cubs should target, and we've talked a lot about the free agent market, but another thing I haven't really discussed is the trade market. Trades are a big part of offseason moves, and the Cubs have had their fair share of them (the Yu Darvish trade being the biggest recently).
Who Are The Cubs Willing To Trade?
Now, we are only looking at scenarios, possible trade pieces the Cubs might use, not actual trades we are predicting.
- Willson Contreras. A lot of rumors about the Cubs trading Contreras, but like I mentioned in Saturday's Cubs News, I definitely believe they will be shopping him, which does not mean trading him.
- Jason Heyward. He provides stellar defense and good clubhouse leadership, which counters his poor offense over the last year. Young teams like the Marlins and Padres would certainly be interested if the Cubs decided to trade him.
- Ian Happ. The Cubs will likely shop Happ as well, although I think he can do more to benefit the Cubs if he stays. But I am simply mentioning option.
- David Bote. The second baseman really underperformed in 2021, and I think a lot of teams might be willing to try their luck with him to see if he can bounce back. The Cubs might also do the same, but a lower-cost second baseman with a possible bounce-back would be a good target for a team.
- Rafael Ortega. I know what you're thinking: why get rid of a good center-fielder who did very well in 2021? First, we don't know if he'll do that well in 2022 (he's 30 already and highly exceded expectations...), and also Happ plays center the best and Brennen Davis will probably make his debut, so trading Ortega wouldn't be out of the question.
- Jose Ramirez (3B). I need not to say much about the fact that he is a good player, both hitting and fielding, and would fill an open spot with a solid player who is only mildly expensive. The Guardians are going through a rebuild themselves, and trading Ramirez for one MLB player (maybe Bote?) and one or two prospects would be a good move.
- Didi Gregorious (SS) He will be a free agent in 2023, and the Phillies might want to trade him and target one of the free agents like Story. He is slightly expensive, but his value might go down a little bit after his somewhat down season.
- A J Pollock (OF) He is a quietly valuable player to the Dodgers, but with their need to go a somewhat different route might lead to some players like Pollock being traded, and the Cubs being in need of an outfielder or two might make sense.
- German Marquez (SP) He made the all-star game with the Rockies, and quickly became their best pitcher. If the Cubs don't get their pitchers from the FA market, Marquez might make sense to a team that struggled with pitching. He is a lower-cost option too, so I could see the Cubs targeting him.
Boooooo. Cubs wont het german marquez or aj pollock
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