Cubs add reliever Justin Wilson and catcher Alex Avila from Tigers
The Cubs strengthened their team for the stretch run by adding lefty reliever Justin Wilson and catcher Alex Avila for two prospects and a player to be named later.
Just over two weeks ago, the Chicago Cubs were 5.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central. They looked like they were having a World Series hangover, with their pitching staff in particular struggling to replicate last season’s success. They seemed to flip the switch at the All-Star break. The Cubs have gone 12-3 and surged to 1.5-game lead in their division since. Now they’ve added talent to their rising squad.
According to reports, the Chicago Cubs have added left-handed relief pitcher Justin Wilson and lefty-hitting catcher Alex Avila in exchange for prospects Jeimer Candelario and Isaac Paredes, along with a player to be named later.
Wilson is having a career year. He started the season as a setup guy for Francisco Rodriguez in Detroit, but after K-Rod blew six saves in his first 13 opportunities, Wilson took over the role and has saved 13 of his 13 attempts since, with a 2.68 ERA and 3.22 FIP. He also strikes out a ton of batters (35% strikeout rate). He will add to an already solid Cubs bullpen (currently ranked 10th in FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement).
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Alex Avila is also having a great year, hitting .271/.392/.472 in 76 games with the Tigers. He’s good enough to be a starter for most teams but the Cubs have Willson Contreras, who ranks behind only Buster Posey and J.T. Realmuto in FanGraphs WAR. This move puts Avila in the backup role to Contreras, which strengthens the team’s bench considerably. The team had an opening after trading away Miguel Montero, following Montero’s criticism of a teammate earlier this season.
The Tigers receive two prospects and the ubiquitous player to be named later. Jeimer Candelario is a 23-year-old switch-hitter who was ranked 96th on the MLB.com Top 100 Prospects list before this season. Call to the Pen’s Ben Chase had him as the number seven third base prospect. He’s primarily played third base this season, with some time at first base as well.
In 81 games in Triple-A, Candelario is hitting .266/.361/.507. He was even better last year in Triple-A, but has struggled in a small sample size of 50 major league plate appearances (.136/.240/.250) over the last two seasons. Getting away from the Cubs organization, where Kris Byrant plays third base and Anthony Rizzo plays first base, can only help Candelario get big league playing time.
Isaac Paredes was signed by the Cubs out of Mexico as a 16-year-old in 2015. He has good pop for a middle infielder, but some scouts expect he’ll move away from shortstop to second or third base as he fills out. He’s hitting .261/.341/.399 with the South Bend Cubs in the Midwest League (Class A).
It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Cubs run away with the NL Central in the second half. Wilson and Avila will help, but the team has already played better over the last two weeks than they did earlier in the season and this move just adds to their already talented team. A ripple effect of this trade could be felt in Pittsburgh, where the Pirates have been clinging to the hopes of contention. This move may help them decide to trade away guys like Andrew McCutchen or Gerrit Cole.
This trade also confirms that the Tigers are waiving the white flag on 2017. They’re ten games out in the AL Central and eight games out in the wild card race. If they can find a taker for Justin Verlander and the $28 million per year he’s owed through the 2019 season, they will likely jump at the opportunity.