The Chicago Cubs have been quiet ever since making their splash much earlier in the offseason. As a result, trade rumors across the MLB have also settled down likely because the Cubs possess a lot of trade pieces that are of interest to other teams.
One of those teams is the Tampa Bay Rays, who were reportedly discussing trades with the Cubs earlier this offseason. According to those previous rumors, Chicago was inquiring about pitchers Matt Moore, Alex Cobb and Drew Smyly.
Perhaps another name has entered the fray.
"It's getting deep into the offseason and plenty of deals could still be made before spring training," writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
"For example, the Rays and Cubs seem to line up for a trade. Tampa Bay could deal either Jake Odorizzi or Alex Cobb if Chicago is willing to give up Javier Baez or Jorge Soler.
"Cubs president Theo Epstein is trying to turn Baez into a younger Ben Zobrist, while Soler has big-time slugging potential, though he isn't the greatest right fielder. The Rays need controllable young hitters and Soler and/or Baez would fit very nicely in their lineup."
The fact that the rumor resurfaced this weekend could mean the Cubs are quietly exploring their options for the starting rotation. Yes, the unit appears to be set for 2016 with Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta, John Lackey, Jason Hammel and Adam Warren/Kyle Hendricks, but both Arrieta (barring a long-term contract extension) and Lackey could become free agents after 2017 and Hammel will likely hit the open market after 2016.
Chicago's championship window will be open for quite some time, but the rotation is the one area that needs to be addressed in subsequent seasons. The infield and outfield are set for the foreseeable future based on who they have on the MLB roster along with other up-and-coming names in the farm system. However, the organization has a dearth of talented pitching prospects, which may force them to deal from their strengths to address that weakness.
It's unknown if the Cubs are exploring such trade options, but it's been reported the Rays are open to trading a number of their starters due to their surplus at the MLB level along with top prospect Blake Snell knocking at the big-league door.
Although the Rays' position players seem pretty set as long as everyone stays healthy, it's likely the team could easily find significant playing time for Baez or Soler due to their great potential.
While there's not any traction in terms of a deal, keep an eye on the Cubs and Rays as the offseason progresses since the two sides match up to help one another out.
