Chicago Cubs News: Trade Targets and Injury Updates

The Chicago Cubs appear to have lost out on a pair of trade targets on Tuesday but the team could soon receive help from injured infielders Javier Baez and Tommy La Stella.

Between the Major League Baseball Trade Deadline on Friday and the injury rehabs of infielders Tommy La Stella and Javier Baez, the Chicago Cubs have certainly had their hands full.

Cubs trade rumors are not slowing down as the Major League Baseball trade deadline comes on Friday. The Cubs are interested in acquiring a starting pitcher, relief pitcher, and position player before the trade deadline on Friday. One thing to consider when it comes to the Cubs’ pursuit of a position player is the injury rehabs of infielders Tommy La Stella and Javier Baez.

La Stella is expected to go on a rehab assignment within the next week and could re-join the Cubs by mid-August. Meanwhile, Baez is expected to return to the Iowa Cubs this week from a finger injury that has kept him sidelined for much of the past two months. Both Baez and La Stella could be valuable position players for the Cubs as the team heads down the stretch.

For now, the Cubs appear to be focused on adding players before the Major League Baseball trade deadline on Friday.

The Cubs and San Diego Padres appear to be having daily trade conversations as the teams have corresponding needs. The Cubs have a need for starting pitching and are said to be focused on Padres’ starting pitcher Tyson Ross. Meanwhile, the Padres are believed to have an interest in Cubs’ shortstop Starlin Castro. Ross would be an ideal fit for the Cubs but the team would need to offer the Padres more than Castro in order to facilitate a deal.

Beyond Ross, the Cubs also have an interest in acquiring Philadelphia Phillies’ starting pitcher Cole Hamels. The Phillies have requested that teams submit their final trade offers for Hamels on Wednesday so movement should be coming on the Hamels’ front relatively soon. The Cubs remain interested in Hamels but it appears that the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Dodgers are the front-runners to land the Phillies’ ace.

In terms of position players, the Cubs could be talking to the Colorado Rockies about a trade for outfielder Carlos Gonzalez. The Rockies traded shortstop Troy Tulowitzki on Tuesday morning and the belief is they will trade Gonzalez before Friday. Gozalez has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball as the outfielder is hitting .405 with 10 home runs during the month of July. Considering his contract status (signed through the 2017 season) and recent hot streak, the Rockies’ asking price will likely be high.

The Cubs also appeared to have lost out on two trade targets on Tuesday. Rumored Cubs’ trade target Ben Zobrist was traded by the Oakland Athletics to the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday and it appears that Phillies’ closer Jonathan Papelbon is on the verge of being traded to the Washington Nationals.

Chicago Cubs News and Notes From Around FanSided.

Cubs focusing on trading for Tyson Ross [Da Windy City–Jordan Campbell]

"Ross is drawing heavy interest among Major League teams considering he is 28 and under team control through the 2017 season. With the Padres this season, Ross has a 2.8 WAR through 21 starts with a 3.45 ERA (2.75 FIP) and a 1.39 WHIP."

Nationals Closing In On Trade For Jonathan Papelbon [Call To The Pen–Michael Natelli]

"Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post reports that a Papelbon-to-D.C. trade is “nearing completion,” indicating that some of the previously-reported hurdles in the deal (specifically, covering some of Papelbon’s $13-million vesting option for next year) have been worked out or are in the process of being resolved."

Chicago Cubs News and Notes From Around The Internet

Phillies to take final trade offers for Cole Hamels on Wednesday [Bleacher Nation–Brett Taylor]

"The guess here is that the Cubs are still involved, but only insofar as they’ve set a level (in prospects and in salary taken on) at which they’re willing to make a deal, and the Phillies have indicated that deal is unlikely to happen given other teams’ interest. But the Cubs will hang around until a deal is done, and see what happens. Maybe the market collapses and the Phillies get desperate."

Cubs Expressing Interest In Carlos Gonzalez [Cubs Den–North Side Irish]

"John Arguello of Cubs Den (hey! I know him!) has heard that the Cubs have indeed inquired about Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzales, and not just so he doesn’t bat against their bullpen again. Gonzalez has been unbelievably hot over the past month (10 homers, 23 RBI, a .405 batting average and 1.328 OPS in July) and is signed for another two seasons ($37M combined) so he would seem like a natural fit."

Royals Acquire Ben Zobrist [MLB Daily Dish–Chris Cotillo]

"The Royals are acquiring Ben Zobrist from the Athletics in exchange for left-hander Sean Manaea and right-hander Aaron Brooks, as first reported by Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. We reported earlier in the day that Kansas City was expected to be in on Zobrist until the end of trade negotiations."

We hope you enjoyed this edition of Chicago Cubs News.

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