Paired in tandem with today’s earlier discussion of the Cubs’ possible interest in Toronto Blue Jays lefty J.A. Happ as a rental trade target, Tommy Birch reports that there have been some Toronto eyes on the Cubs’ farm system:
Hearing Zagunis, Tseng and Bote have been guys Blue Jays have looked at in Iowa. https://t.co/9v6IQsuMm7
— Tommy Birch (@TommyBirch) July 9, 2018
Although Birch is not always big in the rumor game, he has a line on everything happening in Des Moines, so if he says this, I’d imagine there’s a reason for it.
Is that the range of targets you’d expect the Blue Jays to be looking at for Happ? Yes, though they may be able to get younger, lower-level, but higher-impact-type prospects if they went that route. The Cubs’ system doesn’t have a lot of that going around, so you could understand why they might instead be looking at potential big league contributors who may not have a great/clear future in Chicago.
Bote, whom you now know well, has been killing it in his small-sample debut for the Cubs:
As a utility man getting only sporadic looks in his first time in the big leagues, David Bote is hitting .294/.395/.441 (120 wRC+). The sample size is small (43 PAs), but the early returns have been great.
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) July 9, 2018
There will be downs for Bote, to be sure, but a guy with that much positional versatility and plus-upside on the offensive side? That’s a wonderful guy to have around on the roster, or – at worst – on the shuttle to and from AAA for a few years.
And fortunately, if you’re hoping the Cubs hold onto Bote:
Looking at/interested in. Doesn't necessarily mean Cubs are willing to part with him. One team interested in a guy doesn't mean a team is willing to let them go. https://t.co/VPDFhsXfD9
— Tommy Birch (@TommyBirch) July 9, 2018
Why wouldn’t a trade partner be looking at/interested in a guy like Bote right now? I’d certainly have interest. But, as Birch reminds us, that doesn’t mean we’re talking about an actual trade pursuit on the table here. These are all just interests/possibilities right now.
Zagunis, 25, has generally demonstrated that hitting at AAA is not an issue for him, but has not had the benefit of any kind of regular look at the big league level thanks to an extremely crowded roster ahead of him. That doesn’t mean he is not a valuable piece, however. Given the right opportunity, there’s a chance he could become a big league regular or, more likely, a solid bench player for many years.
Tseng, 23, was brilliant between AA and AAA last year, but this season has been a slog. My guess is that the Cubs identified what he needed to do to succeed in the big leagues (work on his sub-par fastball, if I had to guess on a guess), and he’s been working through it this season without much success yet. He’s still young, has at least one extremely big-league-caliber pitch (his changeup is killer).