Chicago Cubs: 3 trades with Oakland Athletics to blow it up

After an All Star break that was full of plenty of excitement for baseball fans, the Chicago Cubs come back to reality. Kris Bryant’s performance in the 2021 MLB All Star Game was somewhat forgettable and Craig Kimbrel pitched one-fifth of an inning.

There wasn’t much to watch if you’re a Cubs fan, which only fits the mold of what has been happening on the North side for the past month and a half.

The Cubs are 2-8 in their last 10 games and have fallen hard and fast in the NL Central race. At this stage, the Cubs aren’t necessarily admitting defeat, but they also are not considered “in” the race. After leading the division for a little while early in the year, the Cubs are now reeling and will face a tough trade deadline ahead.

The Cubs will sell. Make no mistake. They will be sellers. How aggressively will they sell? That’s the real question. One team that will buy, and potentially from the Cubs, is the Oakland Athletics. They seem to be a perfect partner for the Cubs.

The Chicago Cubs may be able to pull off a big trade with the Oakland Athletics prior to the 2021 deadline.

Oakland is in a tight race out in the AL West, as they are currently 3.5 games behind the Houston Astros. Funny enough, the Astros and Athletics could be after similar trade targets this year as well.

The Athletics’ farm system isn’t exactly chock full of top-100 prospects right now, but they do possess a few guys who could become much more exciting as time goes on.

If Oakland and Chicago engage in serious talks, the Cubs may end up signaling a fire sale. This could be the year they finally blow it up. It seems like forever ago since the 2016 World Series honeymoon occurred, but the truth of the matter is, the Ricketts haven’t cared a whole lot since winning that title.

Now, they face the reality of blowing things up in a big way. These trades with Oakland could end up providing some significant value if the Cubs were interested.