3 Cubs Already on the Trade Block After First Two Months of Season
By Zach Elliott
Early returns from games at the Friendly Confines have all been saying the same thing: It’s almost summertime in Chicago!
There’s no doubt that manager Craig Counsell has squeezed what juice he can out of a fractured rotation and lineup. A boogeyman bullpen hasn’t made late innings any easier. When healthy, this team can likely still climb atop an NL Central just begging to be controlled by them or Milwaukee.
So, where’s the edge to improve upon? Health would be the first asset Jed Hoyer and general manager Carter Hawkins would look to acquire, but more governable issues remain. For an overview: with a 16th ranked OPS, 11th ranked ERA, and 26-22 record the Cubs have been definitionally middling to this point. In their last 10 games, they’re 25th, 11th, and 4-6, respectively. Hitting help is the priority, with a shore-up in the bullpen also necessary.
Unsurprisingly for a sport with 26-man rosters, the blame pie is split many ways. Let’s look at a few players who – if things don’t turn around as the summer looms larger – might see themselves traded for upgrades.
(Dis)Honorable Mentions: Ian Happ, Jameson Taillon
The only way to stay rooted in reality for this exercise is to acknowledge certain players’ contract situations. Taillon, after a recent rough outing against the Pirates where his high-fly-ball, high-home run-rate demons began to rear their head, has been injured but serviceable. Happ has a history of being able to recover from slumps (he’s never posted a full season OPS+ under 100) but his .208//.323/.302 line has him among the worst regular starters in baseball to this point.
Neither needs to hire a realtor. Both have 3 years left on their respective contracts – Happ at $21 million and Taillon at $18 million. To ship off a struggling veteran at that price would likely not net Chicago anyone of value, and if they recover, they’re helping to steer you towards contention anyway.
Happ in particular needs to make a sacrifice to the baseball god of his choosing to right this ship, but the North side is better off rooting for these two to turn things around.