Even though we usually have some idea, it’s proven nearly impossible to predict with certainty which narrative is going to take over any given offseason for the Cubs.
Back before the 2016 season, we all thought David Price was going to be the story, but it was actually Jason Heyward. Before 2017, we were wondering if Dexter Fowler might return, before BAM! the Cubs traded Jorge Soler for Wade Davis. The 2018 offseason began with dreams of Shohei Ohtani and re-signing Jake Arrieta, before the Cubs somewhat shockingly wound up with Yu Darvish. And last winter we were all sure the Cubs were going to end up with Bryce Harper … and the I don’t really remember what happened after that.
I suppose we knew change was on the horizon this winter, and I think we even could have correctly named names; but I don’t think we expected the Kris Bryant and Willson Contreras rumors to be quite as pervasive as they have been. (The latest on that front is here.)
But who knows … maybe that’ll be the early, abandoned storyline we all forget by the time Spring Training rolls around? Did I help?
At the outset of the winter, Bryant was joined by Francisco Lindor and Mookie Betts on the superstars-to-be-traded market, but the latter two have both dropped off here in the last few weeks (Betts because of his pricey one-year control and Lindor because the Indians plan to see if they can compete first, before using the trade deadline as their next targeted sell-by date). But the trouble the Red Sox have found in trading Betts may kick the Indians back into high-gear – at least, according to Ken Rosenthal, who believes they’re better off moving him now than at the deadline. That’ll be something to watch for any number of Cubs-related reasons.
Oh, a mystery team? Wow! Amazing! Totally not an exaggeration by an agent to help move things along!
Realistically, there are only – what? – eight teams that could EVER offer Gerrit Cole the type of deal he’s likely to accept: Nationals, Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, Rangers, Angels, Dodgers, Giants. Of those eight teams, the Nationals (Stephen Strasburg), Red Sox (payroll plans), and Cubs (payroll plans) are already certainly out. And we already know that the Yankees, Angels, and Dodgers are in. The Giants (current trajectory) and Rangers (fuller rotation, more of a player for Anthony Rendon or Josh Donaldson) feel like long-shots, but I’m not sure who else would even have the financial might to pull off a “mystery team” type offer.
This is something I’ve been expecting for a while and is generally good for the Cubs (vis à vis Kris Bryant’s market):
If the Angels are actually interested in a third baseman, they could also turn to Kris Bryant after missing out on Anthony Rendon (and they have the sort of pieces that fall closer to the desirable group (Braves, Dodgers) than the alternative (Nationals, Phillies), especially if they’re willing to talk about top outfield prospect Jo Adell). If the Angels sign Anthony Rendon, then a relatively unexpected team – for a third baseman – just grabbed the best option off the market, leaving the teams we know to be in scrambling among the best remaining options.
Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos wouldn’t commit to re-signing Josh Donaldson or even replace him with another third baseman from outside the organization, but did say “I think it’s fair to say we want something for the middle of the order,” before adding “Ideally third base [is where we’d add someone], but middle-of-the-order bat can come in the form of an outfielder, as well.”
Anthopoulos was, of course, not going to get too specific on Bryant, but did bring up the amount of control remaining – for any trade target – as a sticking point in any deal and also said “If you feel like it’s the last piece, you might stretch a little bit more” to get a deal done. That’s exactly the position you want the Cubs best potential trade partner to be in. And the author of the piece, David O’Brien, did seem to indicate that Bryant’s ability to also play the outfield could be a uniquely good fit for a Braves team looking to introduce Austin Riley to third base slowly. I know we all hate talking about this, but if the Braves – in particular – feel like Bryant has enough control remaining (i.e. he loses his grievance), then his ability to play both third base and the outfield as well putting them over the top in the NL East could make them part with the sort of talent you’d be happy – or at least placated – to receive in a deal for a recent MVP.
This would be J.A., not Ian:
The Brewers are having a good (Omar Narvaez, Luis Urias), but confusing (Josh Hader’s availability, so much salary dumping) offseason. They’ve lost so many players, even as they’ve added some upside talent. They might be particularly hard to project next season – especially given the almost comical drop-off in projected pitch framing between Yasmani Grandal and Omar Narvaez, which could hurt a team with a cobbled together staff like their’s more than most. But with payroll room to spare, and with rumors that the Yankees might attach a prospect to get a team to take on Happ and his $17 million owed, maybe the Brewers are actually a good fit.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have been rumored competition for the Cubs on free agent (Shogo Akiyama, Nicholas Castellanos) and trade (Starling Marte) outfield targets all offseason, but the latest has them also interested in Mitch Haniger and Nomar Mazara, neither of whom have come up in connection to the Cubs at all this offseason. It’s still not entirely clear what the Cubs intend to do with their group of outfielders, but it’s popped up enough, that something is clearly afoot, particularly in center field.
NEWSLETTER
