Random trade speculation

[mk49]

5 minutes ago, JD94 said:

I’d pay a kings ransom for Tarik Skubal. He’s THAT good. The only player that is in the entire Chicago Cubs organization that I wouldn’t put in the deal is Pete Crow Armstrong. That’s it. Cade Horton? Take him. Hartshorn? He’s yours. I don’t care. Get him and give him a blank check in the offseason. Maybe the fan in me is getting carried away, but whatever. I want one of the best pitchers on the planet to go with one of the best all around players on the planet for this year and the next however many years. 

If there's a chance we can actually re-sign Skubal, it'd be OK.  But, I don't think that's gonna happen.

[Stratos]

Makes you mad that Steele and Horton aren't healthy, plus Palencia.  That's every major piece we need besides maybe another reliever.

I give credit to what Jed has built here.  Plus one of the best skippers in MLB.

[mk49]

10 minutes ago, Stratos said:

We have the best position players in baseball in terms of WAR this year.   The team has serious WS potential with pitching help.

This is true, but how many pitchers do we need?  I think we need two SPs, one TOR and one decent one + Mason Miller?

[Stratos]

Whoever reported the Mets scouts were seen scouting the Cubs AA players, the only significant prospect i recognize on their current active roster is Jefferson Rojas.  Ed Howard also on the team.

[Stratos]

16 minutes ago, mk49 said:

This is true, but how many pitchers do we need?  I think we need two SPs, one TOR and one decent one + Mason Miller?

Maybe.  But even someone like Skubal plus Ben Brown and 2 of Shota, Boyd, Cabrera, Peterson (whoever are pitching best at the time) is a pretty good playoff rotation.

I could see them wanting a TOR + dominant reliever plus some buy-low reliever they like and calling it a day.  We have the prospects to match most teams.

[CubinNY]

13 hours ago, PeanutPunch33 said:

I'll be some combination of livid and depressed if they win 3x in a row.  Not saying they wouldn't deserve it... it's just bad for the sport, IMO.  Would love to see a new team win it all this year.  

Why is it bad for the sport? They are the smartest organization with some of the best draft and development people in baseball. 

[Adipost]

Passan says that Skubal will be traded, and the Tigers will be listening on offers within the next day(today) or two (tomorrow).  Dodgers are the favorites.

Edited 5 hours ago by Adipost
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[I owned a Suzuki]

I can easily see a path where  the Dodgers send Wrobeski to the Tigers. Skubal takes Wrobeski's spot in the short term. Dodgers will be getting reinforces from the IL by playoff time. Tigers who are probably more in a win next year mode, get a pitcher who may really help with that

[Outshined_One]

Curious to see who walks away with Mize.  I feel like he's a sneaky under-the-radarish type who'd be a really good pickup for a pitching-savvy team.

[Jason Ross]

Cubs got some good news today: Steele will throw a light bullpen session this weekend. Should kick start his return. 

[Derwood]

3 minutes ago, Jason Ross said:

Cubs got some good news today: Steele will throw a light bullpen session this weekend. Should kick start his return. 

NARRATOR: And that's the moment he felt tenderness in his elbow and was shut down for 4 more weeks

[Jason Ross]

1 minute ago, Derwood said:

NARRATOR: And that's the moment he felt tenderness in his elbow and was shut down for 4 more weeks

[Outshined_One]

9 minutes ago, Derwood said:

NARRATOR: And that's the moment he felt tenderness in his elbow and was shut down for 4 more weeks

[Bertz]

https://www.bleachernation.com/cubs/2026/07/30/carson-kelly-trade/

I don't think this is a good idea, but unlike the Seiya Suzuki stuff it's at least close enough that I'd be willing to consider the specifics.

[mul21]

5 minutes ago, Bertz said:

https://www.bleachernation.com/cubs/2026/07/30/carson-kelly-trade/

I don't think this is a good idea, but unlike the Seiya Suzuki stuff it's at least close enough that I'd be willing to consider the specifics.

Man, as injury prone as Amaya has been, that would be a really ballsy move.  And it would almost have to be a 3 team deal wouldn't it?  None of the teams mentioned in the article are going to be willing to give up the kind of pitching the Cubs need in the middle of their own pennant race.

[mk49]

7 minutes ago, Bertz said:

https://www.bleachernation.com/cubs/2026/07/30/carson-kelly-trade/

I don't think this is a good idea, but unlike the Seiya Suzuki stuff it's at least close enough that I'd be willing to consider the specifics.

Pretty crazy rumor.  It's almost as crazy as trading Seiya.

It's not going to happen.  

[Post Count Padder]

That would be real ballsy considering Amaya's injury history and how important a good two-way catcher is to a contending club. I almost wonder if they are just doing due diligence on the market, or as BN suggested, making a ploy to get someone like the Angels more interested in Ayers. 

[Jason Ross]

16 minutes ago, Bertz said:

https://www.bleachernation.com/cubs/2026/07/30/carson-kelly-trade/

I don't think this is a good idea, but unlike the Seiya Suzuki stuff it's at least close enough that I'd be willing to consider the specifics.

Yeah, I think you could sell me on this a few ways. I like Carson Kelly a lot, but moving him at least makes some sense considering he shares duties and the Cubs have considerable young catching depth. 

It feels like a needle thread move but one that probably has a wider birth than Suzuki. Unlikely, but plausible. 

[Funky-daddy]

What would this even look like? You trade Kelly and another bat to the Yankees for Elmer Rodriguez or something ?

[Outshined_One]

Kelly likely won't fetch a QO from the Cubs, and the Cubs at least have Amaya/Ayers/Ballesteros if a deal goes through, so I can kinda see how it could happen?  It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but it's not as pants-on-head-crazy as trading Seiya.

I'm feeling like we're seeing writers and prognosticators going down lists of guys due to be FAs in the offseason and randomly throwing names out as trade candidates.  When do we get the articles about the Cubs having interest in trading Happ and Boyd?

[Jason Ross]

1 minute ago, Funky-daddy said:

What would this even look like? You trade Kelly and another bat to the Yankees for Elmer Rodriguez or something ?

It's video-game stuff, but my galaxy brain thought would be that either you use Kelly to acquire prospects to trade for the big SP deal (thus keeping someone else you really like) or to backfill the loss of X prospect. 

[Derwood]

This is what happens when you're less than a week away from the deadline but no one is being traded

[Tryptamine]

Only way it makes sense is if a team is willing to to do a substantial overpay. I mean, let's say the Cubs were, selling, what would a normal market require you to give up for Kelly? Maybe a back of the top 10 type of guy. It's almost certainly not getting a mid rotation or more arm or a high leverage reliever, so I'm not really seeing the point.

[Stratos]

14 minutes ago, mk49 said:

Pretty crazy rumor.  It's almost as crazy as trading Seiya.

It's not going to happen.  

They only make sense from the perspective that we have a bit of a surplus in position players and significant deficit in pitching.

Trading your main catcher midseason or 2nd best hitter seems nuts.  We do have Mo in AAA though and at least Conforto to play RF until Shaw is back.  Seiya has the NTC and in a walk year he'd be foolish to waive it.

[Bertz]

31 minutes ago, Jason Ross said:

It's video-game stuff, but my galaxy brain thought would be that either you use Kelly to acquire prospects to trade for the big SP deal (thus keeping someone else you really like) or to backfill the loss of X prospect. 

I was thinking a reliever.  e.g. Kelly+ for Garrett Whitlock

But yeah video game stuff is a good way to describe it.  Only really works IRL if AJ Preller's involved.