The Chicago Cubs shocked the MLB last week and landed both Ben Zobrist and Jason Heyward. Initial rumors suggested Heyward would fill the void in center field for at least the 2016 season, and, as a result, may have affected the team's trade plans.
The Cubs' offseason is far from over, but FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal provided some insight regarding the team's potential strategy moving forward.
"At least for the moment, the Cubs' plan is to play Heyward in center and not acquire a center fielder who would enable him to remain in right. A trade for a starting pitcher also remains possible."
This means it could be fairly unlikely they move Jorge Soler, who currently occupies right field.
They could still land a starter, but some of the names they're looking into won't be cheap. Their quest to acquire a cost-controlled arm may not be fulfilled this offseason due to the speculated high asking prices of starters such as Tyson Ross, Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar, Alex Cobb, Matt Moore and others. (They've been linked to all of those names in rumors.)
Soler and Javier Baez have been the subject of most of the Cubs' trade rumors, but we said yesterday why the team may ultimately decide against moving one or both of them and instead explore trading prospects in the farm system. The team's outfield at the MLB level is not deep, so trading Soler would create another issue. Trading Baez would also hurt the team's infield depth, as the youngster is versatile and proved to be valuable asset when Addison Russell got injured in the NLCS.
"While juggling so many balls in the air, the Cubs won't be immediately flipping Jorge Soler or Javier Baez, sources said in the aftermath of Friday's eight-year, $184 million commitment to Heyward," writes Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com.
"The prices for pitching keep soaring, and that's one reason why the Cubs plan to hold onto their young hitters for now, beyond Baez and Soler's untapped potential."
Aside from that, their trade efforts are not concentrated on starting pitching right now. The team signed John Lackey and acquired Adam Warren from the New York Yankees, so their rotation could very well be set even though they are still exploring any and all possibilities.
"The Cubs' current focus is on trades for relievers, according to major-league sources -- not high-end types such as the Yankees' Andrew Miller, but middle-inning and setup options who would provide additional depth," Rosenthal adds.
If it weren't for Maddon's masterful handling of the team's bullpen last season, the unit would have been an absolute disaster. The Cubs already lost Jason Motte to the Colorado Rockies and it's unknown if Fernando Rodney will be back. It's unlikely they're interested in a reunion Tommy Hunter, who accumulated a 5.74 ERA in 19 games with the Cubs.
The Rays are also reportedly offering up Jake McGee and Brad Boxberger, but they might be too expensive for the Cubs' liking. Nonetheless, keep an eye on the Cubs to bolster their relatively thin bullpen before making the big trade to add depth to their starting rotation.
