Chicago Cubs: Players possibly on the move at the Winter Meetings

With the Winter Meetings getting started this week in San Diego, let’s examine the Chicago Cubs players that are on the verge of being moved.

Chicago Cubs GM Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer are reportedly trying to lower their payroll, and with a lot of attractive players on their club, they should be able to trade players this offseason with little to no problem at all.

Ken Rosenthal recently went over the Cubs’ offseason plans saying, “Club officials are telling representatives of even low-budget free agents that they need to clear money before engaging in serious negotiations.”

Clearing money, of course, means pursuing different trade options. They are trying to clear up space, so much so that there isn’t a very good chance that they bring back Nicholas Castellanos, who was one of their best players from the point they acquired him to the end of the season.

So, with that said here are a few trade candidates for this week at the Winter Meetings.

More from Call to the Pen

• Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
• Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
• Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
• Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
• 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals

Kris Bryant is the most obvious candidate to be traded. He is one of the elite third basemen in the game, but the Chicago Cubs might not want to pay his contract with his upcoming free agency coming in a couple of years.

I think another important aspect that the Chicago Cubs are going to be looking at is not just their team, but the free-agent market that will directly correlate the market of Kris Bryant.

Anthony Rendon is the big-ticket item at the hot corner this winter, but only one team can get him as the same goes with Josh Donaldson.

So, the teams that are missing out are going to still need a third baseman. The Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers, and perhaps even the Los Angeles Dodgers would be interested in Kris Bryant if they strike out on Rendon and Donaldson.

Willson Contreras will certainly gain some traction among the GM’s conversations in their suites this week in San Diego. He is the best catcher available now even though he is not a free agent.

Yasmani Grandal and Travis d’Arnaud are off the market as well as Alex Avila, so teams that need catching help are going to look at the Chicago Cubs for help.

One of those teams that sounds like a very logical fit is the San Diego Padres, as I wrote last week. The Padres have two catchers–one that has a good bat and one that is the best defensive catcher in the game– but A.J. Preller is going to be looking for a catcher like Contreras that will be able to hold his own at the plate and with the pitching staff.