Chicago Cubs Core Is Fine – Their Pitching Isn’t
By TC Zencka
Chicago Cubs Position Players
Contreras is the most likely trade candidate, but Theo and company must at least be curious to see if his pitch framing can improve further under David Ross. Remember, Contreras came late to catching, and if there’s another developmental step for him in that department, he’ll have crossed the last frontier in terms of becoming a complete franchise catcher.
Rizzo is the most secure given his closeness to every level of Chicago Cubs leadership, and odd as this may seem, first basemen with Rizzo’s two-way ability are a rare commodity these days.
Baez‘s skillset and popularity with fans make him an unlikely move as well. Nico Hoerner can’t replace him. He looks like a fine player – with the type of contact skills this lineup desperately needs – but he doesn’t match Baez’s ceiling on either side of the ball.
Not to mention, Baez’s presence continues to be the gift that helps Cubs fans process the unmitigated disaster that is Addison Russell‘s fall from grace. Even if a trade package returns a young shortstop to step in for Baez from day one (unlikely), there’s emotional collateral to dealing Baez that I don’t think the Cubs are ready to handle.
Schwarber‘s value doesn’t match the others, and to Cubs brass, his character has always made him a foundational piece. There’s a monster season somewhere in Schwarber’s future, and if can improve even a little more on his .229/.306/.450 against lefties, he could put together a .250/.360/.550 type of season – that’s when you want to trade him. Still, there’s enough uncertainty to make paying Schwarber an uneasy proposition.
What kind of deal would it take to move Bryant? A Bryant trade is complicated by his legal proceedings against the team, but the Cubs are listening for a couple of reasons. He’s represented by Scott Boras, who will seek a monster payday in Bryant’s future. The Cubs have to either commit to him in a Miguel Cabrera, bottom-might-fall-out-but-he’s-our-guy kind of way, or they have to see if they can find a return to jumpstart the next era of Cubs baseball.
Health is a real concern. Over the past two seasons, Bryant’s shown the resilience to play through injuries, but he hasn’t shown the ability to play all that well. When he’s right, there are few hitters in the game with his ability, but he’s a big boy at 6’5″/230lbs, and early warning signs hint at a player that might not age all that gracefully. That doesn’t mean he won’t continue to be an All-Star, but it also doesn’t mean he’s going to be worth $300MM+ throughout his thirties.
Still, he’s only 27 now, so he ought to have another 3+ years of superstar production in him. His ceiling is high enough that it’s probably worth going year-to-year for the next two seasons. There aren’t enough teams that can afford him to make the prospect cost worth it for the Cubs. It’s hard to imagine him moving unless there’s a team that absolutely thinks he is the answer.
Because the fact is: these players aren’t what ails the Chicago Cubs.