Question of the week: name your trade candidate

[PeanutPunch33]

17 hours ago, Rcal10 said:

Ryan or Gore and nothing else, gives them an A? I don’t agree. That isn’t a big enough deadline. It is good, not A. Plus to get one of then I am sure you lose 2 of their top 5 guys plus more. 

I think they could roll with Shaw if they got Ryan/Gore and then go bargain shopping for a reliever.  But I would still give them an A in that scenario.  

Shota, Boyd, Gore/Ryan, and Taillon is as good as any 4 in the NL except probably the Phillies and Dodgers. 

[731.4life]

16 hours ago, Randall Simon said:

If Suarez isn't a Cub, its highly likely he's a Brewer. It may be worth the acquisition cost as much to keep him away from Milw as it is to help the Cubs. 

Another valid point. I'll take him just to keep him away from Milwaukee.

[Cubsfansince1974]

Put me in the minority but I give the Cubbies a B if make no moves.  With Taillon and Assad soon to be back, I am ok with rolling the dice with the current roster.  None of the starters are anything close to Scherzer-type guys that will put the team on their back.  I am a big ERA guy and Assad has a career 3.40 ERA,  That is solid.  His career ERA better than any of these guys.  

They might get an A if can get Joe Ryan without giving up Caissie or Wiggins.  Tucker is gone next year so cannot get rid of Caissie.  Paying tucker $50 million a year in his late 30's will be needed to match what LA will pay him so any trade involving Caissie gets a C at best for me.  Our minor league is short on arms so no way Wiggins can be dealt.  

 

[Rcal10]

5 minutes ago, Cubsfansince1974 said:

Put me in the minority but I give the Cubbies a B if make no moves.  With Taillon and Assad soon to be back, I am ok with rolling the dice with the current roster.  None of the starters are anything close to Scherzer-type guys that will put the team on their back.  I am a big ERA guy and Assad has a career 3.40 ERA,  That is solid.  His career ERA better than any of these guys.  

They might get an A if can get Joe Ryan without giving up Caissie or Wiggins.  Tucker is gone next year so cannot get rid of Caissie.  Paying tucker $50 million a year in his late 30's will be needed to match what LA will pay him so any trade involving Caissie gets a C at best for me.  Our minor league is short on arms so no way Wiggins can be dealt.  

 

You are definitely a minority here. The Cubs need, bare minimum, a starting pitcher and a pen pitcher. 

[731.4life]

10 minutes ago, Cubsfansince1974 said:

Put me in the minority but I give the Cubbies a B if make no moves.  With Taillon and Assad soon to be back, I am ok with rolling the dice with the current roster.  None of the starters are anything close to Scherzer-type guys that will put the team on their back.  I am a big ERA guy and Assad has a career 3.40 ERA,  That is solid.  His career ERA better than any of these guys.  

They might get an A if can get Joe Ryan without giving up Caissie or Wiggins.  Tucker is gone next year so cannot get rid of Caissie.  Paying tucker $50 million a year in his late 30's will be needed to match what LA will pay him so any trade involving Caissie gets a C at best for me.  Our minor league is short on arms so no way Wiggins can be dealt.  

 

This team cannot beat Phillies/Dodgers with the current rotation, even if Assad and Taillon coming back.

[731.4life]

I'll go ahead and say my final needs:

(1): A pitcher that can start Game 1 or 2 of a playoff series. I prefer Ryan, but not sure if the Twins will trade him. I love the Cabrera/Alcantara combo because of stuff. I wouldn't mind Keller either, but not sure if Cubs would want to trade Caissie in division. 

(2): Suarez: I would trade for Suarez even if Shaw is red hot as of late. It lengthens the lineup, and improve the bench, and it'll keep teams like Milwaukee and Philadelphia away from getting Suarez. 

(3): Bullpen. I'll go after another difference maker like Classe or Duran. But, if the Cubs don't want them, then I'll go after a specific lefty that can get guys like Harper/Schwarber and Ohtani/Freeman out in October. 

(4): Another batter that can come off the bench and produce. Not sure who that'll be, but the bench needs to get better.

If we can get two of those options, I'll be thrilled. Doubt we will get 3 of those 4.

[We Got The Whole 9]

On 7/26/2025 at 7:05 PM, PeanutPunch33 said:

Ryan and Gore get an A if they pull that off.  If they get Suarez and either Kelly or Gallen, I'd give that an A- too.

Any scenario where they trade major piece(s) to get a closer like Clase, gets a C or D for me.  I'd rather commit the big resources to a starter and go bargain shopping for BP help, then the other way around. 

I hope they come away with Sandy Alcantara, Suarez, and a decent reliever like Garrett Whitlock.  That would get an A+ for me.  Addresses every need and they can possibly pull it off without giving up Owen.  

 

I am not confident enough in Horton, or Taillon staying healthy and effective, for that matter, to make the only rotation move be Alcantara. That is too much of a gamble.

 

I think it would be a mistake to take Taillon for granted. I really believe they need to get a guy they can expect to slot right into a playoff rotation without concern. Horton and Taillon give me major pause.

[bukie]

If the Cubs sit tight and do nothing, they're still the best team in baseball, so that's a B for me. It's reactionary to say they can't beat the Phillies or Dodgers in the playoffs with their current roster, as their current roster is already performing better than them so far this season (and the Cubs already went 4-3 against the Dodgers this year, including 2 way too early to count games in Japan that went against them).

However, there are ways to measurably improve the team, so here's my thoughts:

1) If you can get Ryan or Gore without giving up Shaw or Horton, do it. Both are immediate and long term improvements, but if you have to give up Horton/Shaw to get them, it's not as big of an immediate improvement and you would still need extra pieces to complete the team. Just doing this would get them to A- level.

2) If that isn't an option, look to get 2 starter pieces, preferably of the Cease/Lugo/Kelly/Keller/Cabrera/Alcantara crowd.

3) Pick up an extra high leverage reliever. The pen was doing really well until the last 2 weeks, but having just one more reliable arm in there should bolster the whole pen. One of the Twins (Duran/Jax) or Guardians (Clase/Smith) options would be preferred, or Bednar from the Bucs.

4) Bolster the bench/LHP hitting. Suarez is the big score here, though I may overrate him due to how much he crushes the Cubs in particular and worry he could turn into a pumpkin at any time. More low-budget options would be someone like Yoan Moncada, Ramon Urias or Ke'Bryan Hayes.

If 1 or 2 is accomplished, that's an A trading deadline. If they do everything, that's an A+.

[Outshined_One]

23 hours ago, Randall Simon said:

If Suarez isn't a Cub, its highly likely he's a Brewer. It may be worth the acquisition cost as much to keep him away from Milw as it is to help the Cubs. 

Dodgers. Edman has been fine at 3B, but they need an upgrade.

[Layoutman]

On 7/25/2025 at 3:29 PM, mul21 said:

I think Ryan is the most realistic target that would get that automatic grade from me.  I could probably be talked into Clase doing the trick as well.

Get Ryan and Willie Castro in the same deal please!

[Bertz]

For posterity before things get moving this week, this would be my A+ deadline

- Edward Cabrera

- Shane Bieber

- Willi Castro

- Raisel Iglesias

Given the tenor of Trueblood's article this AM, I assume there's little worry about Cabrera's elbow.  And if he is healthy he checks every box.  He gives you a stuff heavy righty to break up Boyd and Shota in a playoff series.  He cheaply addresses the SP hole for next year, and he helps provide a bridge past the post '26 roster cliff

I've talked incessantly about Castro, but he provides rest/injury insurance everywhere but catcher, and provides support for Shaw at 3B without outright blocking him.  Perfect fit IMO.

Iglesias and Bieber are (probably) quality pitchers on pricey contracts who I expect to cost little to nothing in prospects.  Bieber's likely twoish weeks from being back in the bigs.  I wouldn't expect him to be at 100% right out of the shoot, but I would expect him to be in the neighborhood of Rea, while hopefully improving continually as he knocks off the rust.  Honestly he's pretty analogous to where Boyd was a year ago at this time.

But I think this really patches up the various holes on the roster, adds some impact talent as well, and doesn't completely eviscerate the farm.

[Tryptamine]

I think the Cubs can realistically greatly improve themselves without touching their top 4 to 5 guys, depending on where you have Alcantara. 

Merrill Kelly- reliable mid rotation guy, he doesn't have the big upside but he's safe and you feel just fine with him starting a playoff game. You can probably get him for maybe a Gallagher or Triantos type, I can't envision him costing much more than that.

Sandy Alcantara- This is all depending on the ask. If they're willing to take a headliner of Alcantara go for it. He provides the upside Kelly doesn't so even if he falls on his face it's fine because you can get him in the lab this offseason and you still have 4 other starters who can make playoff starts not including Horton.

Willi Castro- He's just such an obvious move that I'm really gonna be blown away if he doesn't end up on the Cubs. He checks all the boxes. He has lots of positional versatility and he mashes lefties. I can't imagine he gets someone in the top 10, probably more 1 in the 11-20 range and another from further out that Minnesota is high on.

For reliever, I think the Cubs messed up not getting Robertson for just cash, but I'd go for Shelby Miller. He might cost you a top 10 guy, but I think it would be back end of the top 10 so maybe a Birdsell type.

 

 

[bukie]

On 7/27/2025 at 8:18 PM, bukie said:

If the Cubs sit tight and do nothing, they're still the best team in baseball, so that's a B for me. It's reactionary to say they can't beat the Phillies or Dodgers in the playoffs with their current roster, as their current roster is already performing better than them so far this season (and the Cubs already went 4-3 against the Dodgers this year, including 2 way too early to count games in Japan that went against them).

However, there are ways to measurably improve the team, so here's my thoughts:

1) If you can get Ryan or Gore without giving up Shaw or Horton, do it. Both are immediate and long term improvements, but if you have to give up Horton/Shaw to get them, it's not as big of an immediate improvement and you would still need extra pieces to complete the team. Just doing this would get them to A- level.

2) If that isn't an option, look to get 2 starter pieces, preferably of the Cease/Lugo/Kelly/Keller/Cabrera/Alcantara crowd.

3) Pick up an extra high leverage reliever. The pen was doing really well until the last 2 weeks, but having just one more reliable arm in there should bolster the whole pen. One of the Twins (Duran/Jax) or Guardians (Clase/Smith) options would be preferred, or Bednar from the Bucs.

4) Bolster the bench/LHP hitting. Suarez is the big score here, though I may overrate him due to how much he crushes the Cubs in particular and worry he could turn into a pumpkin at any time. More low-budget options would be someone like Yoan Moncada, Ramon Urias or Ke'Bryan Hayes.

If 1 or 2 is accomplished, that's an A trading deadline. If they do everything, that's an A+.

So, they did half of 2, and all of 3 and 4. So...B+, but addressed the lesser 2 of 3 needs.

 

EDIT: And #1 was apparently off the table as effectively none of my #1 or #2 options were moved aside from Kelly.

Edited July 31, 2025 by bukie