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With the Chicago baseball season now in full swing, the main surprise appears to be the lack-luster start for the defending world champion Cubs. Currently sitting at 18-19, fourth in the NL Central, fans are starting to wonder what needs to be done to get the team back on track.
Scot Gregor, from The Daily Herald, appears to have his answer. In a recent article Gregor broke down a huge trade proposal between the two Chicago clubs that would send the media into a frenzy.
Brace yourself.
“The Chicago White Sox send starting pitcher Jose Quintana to the Chicago Cubs for the man without a position, Kyle Schwarber. Straight-up deal.”
We warned you to brace yourself.
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Before flying off the handle cursing every God you can think of, read Gregor’s reasoning.
“Quintana is an established high-end starter, and even though he has struggled a bit early (2-5, 4.38 ERA), you can mark down the 28-year-old lefty for a fifth straight season with 200 or more innings pitched and an ERA well south of 4.00.
Equally enticing, Quintana is under club control through the 2020 season at a total cost of only $36 million.
He is a valuable trade chip, and Sox general manager Rick Hahn already has turned down several offers he believed were substandard for a player of Quintana’s quality.”
Seems to make sense. Quintana finds himself in a very similar situation that the White Sox had with Chris Sale last season. He’s a big trade asset that could and should be moved, it’s all about maximizing his value for Hahn.
So… what would the White Sox get in return? Schwarber, of course.
“As for Schwarber, a wildly popular player for the defending World Series champions, would the Cubs even consider trading him?
At the beginning of the season, I’d say the answer was a resounding no.
Six weeks in, you’d have to assume Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein has adjusted the answer to a definite maybe.
Epstein has to realize the rotation needs help. Through Sunday’s play, Cubs starters had the 20th-highest ERA (4.47) in the major leagues.”
Arguably one of the most popular players on the Cubs with unlimited potential, how could you trade him before he even plays a full MLB season? That’s worth thinking about. If Schwarber develops into the next Barry Bonds, Epstein will never hear the end of it… especially if he’s doing it on the South Side.
Gregor seems to think this is a very fair trade, and makes a lot of sense for both clubs.
“Quintana instantly helps bring that number down, and he also gives the Cubs insurance in the event Jake Arrieta and/or John Lackey move on at the end of the current season.
As for Schwarber, he fills a hole at DH the White Sox were unable to plug with Adam Dunn, Adam LaRoche and, yes, Cody Asche, who was optioned to Class AAA Charlotte on Sunday after batting .105 with 1 home run, 4 RBI and 21 strikeouts in 57 at-bats.”
Most Cubs fans are going to immediately push this deal off the table because of the unlimited potential attached to Schwarber’s image. I mean, how many other guys had a baseball put in a glass case after crushing it onto an outfield sign almost 500 feet away?
In a down season this year, Schwarber is batting a modest .179 with almost as many strikeouts as walks. Moving him would definitely indicate some panic on the North Side. For the White Sox, it appears to simply be a matter of time for Quintana.
Coming off a World Series championship, with a core of young talent, it’s hard to imagine the Cubs pushing the panic button a mere 40ish games into the season.
Then again, if it makes sense Mr. Epstein would likely know better than any of us. What do you think?
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