Chicago Cubs land Justin Wilson and Alex Avila from the Detroit Tigers
Trade Breakdown for both sides
The Tigers always felt like a strong trade partner for the Chicago Cubs. Wilson is an extremely talented bullpen arm who will immediately slot into an important late-inning role with the Cubs. As soon as the Cubs parted ways with Miguel Montero earlier this season, they started to get connected to Avila.
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As a solid defensive catcher, fantastic left-handed hitter and great clubhouse presence, Avila is the perfect complement to Willson Contreras behind the plate. It will be interesting to see how Joe Maddon finds enough starts for two talented catchers, but if anybody can do it, it’s Maddon. Contreras will still likely see the bulk of the starts, but having Avila around allows the Cubs to keep him fresh. Also, Avila’s left-handed bat can be a real weapon off of the bench late in games.
I like this trade for the Cubs. I had no issue with them trading minor league pieces for players who can help them now. They are set on the major league roster for many years to come and could afford to trade away some minor league talent. That being said, giving up Candelario and Paredes was relatively significant.
Candelario is the center piece of this deal for Detroit. He is ranked as the best prospect in a depleted Cubs’ minor league system by MLB.com and the 92nd best prospect in the entire game.
Candelario is a sweet-swinging switch hitter who has decent power and great overall contact skills. He always works a strong at-bat and has solid defensive skills at third and first base. Candelario has a big-league ready bat, but the Cubs simply did not have any place for him on the major league roster. The presence of Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo made Candelario easily expendable.
In 286 at-bats, Candelario was hitting .266/.361/.507 at Triple-A Iowa this season.
Paredes is an 18-year-old shortstop who was playing well at Low-A this season. His .264/.343/.401 slash line in 337 at-bats is pretty impressive for an 18-year-old player. There is a lot to like about Paredes’ game and I do not love the Cubs having to give him up in this deal. However, in order to bring in quality, you have to give up quality.
Paredes is a smooth defensive player who can handle the bat well. However, there are many questions about his ability to stay at shortstop long-term. He is unlikely to have the quickness and athleticism for the position. Regardless, Paredes is an interesting young prospect who could quickly rise up the rankings. At the time of the trade, MLB.com had Paredes as the 10th best prospect in the Cubs’ system.
Next: Cubs' biggest needs at deadline
Overall, I think the Chicago Cubs did extremely well here. Both Wilson and Avila will be important parts of this team down the stretch and Wilson is under contract for next season as well. The Cubs’ bullpen is now a major stretch and they have arguably the best duo at the catcher position in the entire game.
Once again, Theo Epstein and company did well here. So, is this all we will see out of the Cubs at the deadline? Stay tuned to find out.