Because Pena hasn't been consistent, and his good years haven't been elite(2007 excepted). There's just not much separating him from several other shorter-term options available to fill 1B in the offseason. If I can trade Carlos Pena in July and still potentially bring him back, aces for me, I like the guy. But if I can add value to the organization by trading him and still get Pena's value elsewhere for next year, then why not trade him? I think the key is adding value to the organization. If nobody is offering anything beyond middling prospects I can see the Cubs holding on to him since they don't have anyone else even remotely close to take over 1B for the rest of the season. That said, I think Pena can net more than that. Because if you can replace him easily for 2012, but apply the savings of not paying him to signing overslots from the draft, why not do it? If trading Pena and having a different Pena next year means that I can sign Maples & crew, then it's a big win. Hey, I don't have a problem trading Pena, but I can see why the Cubs wouldn't do it.