Chicago Cubs: 5 logical trades involving Craig Kimbrel

The Chicago Cubs could trade Craig Kimbrel to the San Diego Padres

Entering Saturday, the San Diego Padres were only 4.0 games out of first place in maybe the most competitive division in baseball — and that was only good for third place. San Diego will have a battle ahead of them if they want to move ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants. Adding Kimbrel could be one of those missing pieces to do just that.

The Padres have an absolutely loaded farm system, owning two of the top 10 prospects in baseball, according to the MLB Top 100. Lefty Mackenzie Gore is the no. 6 prospect overall and shortstop CJ Abrams is no. 8. While the Cubs probably wouldn’t be able to land either of those guys, they could come away with a couple of the Padres’ top 10 prospects in a trade involving Kimbrel.

This trade is pretty simple. The Padres would start by dealing outfielder Robert Hassell, who is their no. 4 overall prospect but still currently no. 46 on the MLB Top 100. His estimated MLB debut isn’t until 2023, but to be able to snag a top-50 prospect in this deal would be a huge win.

Secondly, the Padres would send their no. 6 overall prospect to the Cubs as well. Right-hander Justin Lange is even further out, as he likely won’t join the Majors until 2024. But, getting an arm in exchange for Kimbrel seems necessary. It’s a pretty hefty package to give up in total, but if the Padres are able to make a run in part due to Kimbrel’s brilliance this year, it will be worth it for them.