Call to the pen
Fansided

MLB hot stove: top trade target for each team

By Benjamin Chase

SEATTLE, WA - JULY 30: James Paxton #65 of the Seattle Mariners waits to deliver the pitch in the second inning against the Houston Astros at Safeco Field on July 30, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. The Seattle Mariners beat the Houston Astros 2-0. (Photo by Lindsey Wasson/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - JULY 30: James Paxton #65 of the Seattle Mariners waits to deliver the pitch in the second inning against the Houston Astros at Safeco Field on July 30, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. The Seattle Mariners beat the Houston Astros 2-0. (Photo by Lindsey Wasson/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 30
Next
mlb hot stove
PHOENIX, AZ – SEPTEMBER 17: Kris Bryant #17 of the Chicago Cubs gets ready in the batters box against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on September 17, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

Chicago Cubs

I began work on this piece in early November, scouring team reports for any hints at players that could be available in trade. Then the news on Kris Bryant broke and made this an easy choice.

No player on the Chicago Cubs would garner as much interest on the trade market, nor as much return, as would Kris Bryant. Even coming off a rough season due to injury, Bryant still was able to hit .272/.374/.460 in by far his worst professional performance of his careeer.

Bryant is not by any means a perfect player, and teams would certainly be considering some of the fallbacks he has as they enter into trade talks. His body is such that he will likely not age gracefully at third base, likely requiring a move to either a corner outfield spot or first base. He’s also had significant strikeout concerns. Those were heavily alleviated in 2017, when he struck out in just 19.2% of his plate appearances, but in 2018, that rate was back up to 23%, and while that’s still not the 30% he showed as a rookie, it’s something of concern for teams.

However, those are very, very minor knocks for a player who has a Rookie of the Year award, Most Valuable Player award, and a World Championship under his belt, and he’s just 27 entering 2019.

So why would Bryant become available?

The simple answer is money. The posturing the Cubs did with Bryant when he was a rookie to delay his arbitration clock did not sit well with him, and he has stated that he is not interested in negotiating an extension with the Cubs at this time. With his first arbitration year already likely to exceed 8 figures, the Cubs are strongly considering moving Bryant for a significant package of players that could help the team remain competitive going forward.

The line will be long for his services, but few will have the player resources required to make a move for Bryant while also filling needs that the Cubs currently have. Teams like the Braves, Astros, and Dodgers seem to be the teams that would have the most available resources that match what the Cubs need in a deal to move their young star.

Home/MLB Rumors