Chicago Cubs: 5 trade packages that make the most sense
By Ryan Sikes
Trey Mancini to the Cubs in exchange for Zack Short and Ian Happ.
"The Chicago Cubs could use more production from their outfield going forward. Albert Almora has not become the everyday centerfielder the team hoped he would be. This season, he’s slashing 0.249/0.286/0.396 and a wRC+ of 74. Trey Mancini has been a nice surprise for the Orioles this season, slashing 0.294/0.355/0.523 with 17 home runs and 40 RBI’s. He’s played 54 games in the outfield and 28 games at first base this season, so the most obvious solution would be to slide Jason Heyward over to centerfield with Mancini manning right field. His versatility also provides solid depth at 1B in the event Rizzo needs a day off or gets injured. He’s also under team control through the 2022 season, which should be mighty attractive if I am the Cubs. In return, I have the Orioles acquiring shortstop Zack Short and outfielder Ian Happ to assist in their rebuild. Short, 24, is blocked by Javier Baez and everyone under the sun at second base, so he’ll likely need to be moved to get a chance at making a big league roster. He missed a bunch of time earlier this season with a broken hand, but he’s back now. Last season, Short slashed 0.227/0.356/0.417 with 17 home runs and 59 RBI’s. We know the story with Happ, he struggled with strikeouts in 2017 and 2018 and has been in the minors since the season started. With Triple-A Iowa, he’s slashing 0.227/0.350/0.411 with 13 home runs and 45 RBI’s. Happ is batting 0.275 over his last 10 games and should be moved as soon as possible if the Cubs want to get the most value for him. The Orioles don’t have a whole lot of talent on the middle infield, both at the major league and the minor league levels. This trade satisfies two needs for them."
Trey Mancini still makes a ton of sense for the Cubs who could use a productive outfielder. I stand by sliding Heyward over to centerfield and having Mancini become the everyday right fielder. Entering Saturday, he’s slashing 0.284/0.347/0.517 with 19 home runs and 43 RBI’s.