Trade Deadline Preview: Chicago Cubs

Apr 4, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs catcher Welington Castillo (5) hits a home run during the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Three Biggest Needs

1. Top Pitching Prospects

With a farm system already centered around high ceiling prospects such as Javier Baez and Kris Bryant, it is imperative for the Cubs to seek out a potential future ace. With no true ace residing on the staff at the moment, finding an arm that will be ready for MLB play within the next year or so will help the Cubs close the window for amount of time in between futility and contention. Getting a high ceiling pitching prospect to complement the likes of Jake Arrieta and Travis Wood will put a strong rotation to support what may very well be an extremely powerful offensive team in 2015 and beyond.

2. Solid Catching Prospect

The Cubs would love to, and for the most part, do believe that current catcher Welington Castillo is the starting catcher of the future. Yet beyond Castillo, the Cubs are extremely thin in catching talent, both at the Major League and Minor League levels. Despite picking catcher Kyle Schwarber with the 4th overall pick in this year’s draft, the Cubs are still looking for another option at catcher, as Schwarber has already begun the conversion to a corner outfield position. Jed Hoyer and Theo Epstein should look at solid catching talent as a large secondary gain in any trade negotiations involving their biggest trade chips.

3. Veteran Utility Player

This need is largely discretionary for the Cubs, but it is one that can end up making a large difference down the road for the Boys in Blue. The Cubs possess one of the youngest rosters in baseball, with only 6 of the 25 players on their active roster aged 30 and above. This is mostly good news for the Cubs, but without any strong veteran guidance, it can become difficult to develop the younger, high ceiling players into true stars without the help of those that have been on competitive teams before. Gaining a veteran in a trade and later re-signing for one to two years can work wonders for a team that lacks strong leadership and guidance.