When the deadline came and went this afternoon, it seemed the Cubs only two additions were going to be the lefty relievers they’d been targeting all along. But then, minutes after the deadline passed, news dropped: The Cubs had traded for right-handed outfielder Cameron Maybin.
The move immediately seemed to imply an exit – of some sort – for Albert Almora Jr., particularly with Kris Bryant and Steven Souza Jr. returning (as soon as tomorrow?), and now, it looks like that is indeed the case:
Hoyer: Albert Almora Jr. will be optioned to South Bend, with Maybin joining the MLB squad.
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) August 31, 2020
Almora was the first draft pick of this Cubs front office and played a big role in the Cubs World Series championship. After that he was a high-quality defensive center fielder (still is) and contributed significantly against left-handed pitchers. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, he lost that ability and with struggles against right-handed pitchers to boot, became nearly unplayable offensively (even his innate ability to make contact has been lost).
So now, with Maybin on the way, Almora will head to South Bend, Indiana, where he’ll serve as depth. He still has two years of control via arbitration after this one, but he’s no longer a lock to be tendered by the Cubs. That’s not the hope, though. The hope is that he can figure some things out and eventually return to the big leagues with – at least – his gold glove caliber defense and an ability to hit lefties. There’s a place on a lot of roster for a young, cheap player like that and I hope it’s with the Cubs. I’m sure Brett will want to have more on this later.
But he’s got some much-deserved time off after eating a bajillion hot dogs for charity:
The 2020 Trade Deadline, and BN Dogathon, Are Complete – Lots of Trades, Lots of Hot Dog Sandwiches https://t.co/w5ub1CPnrU pic.twitter.com/jgZjJ4hz13
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) August 31, 2020