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OK, so the Cubs are definitely going to make a trade this offseason. It could be huge. That’s really all we know. There are no untouchables, Theo’s listening and naturally the trade speculation has been spreading a month into the offseason.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan has already reported that teams around MLB believe Willson Contreras will be available in a trade. Kris Bryant’s name has been tossed around in awful trade proposals and of course the usual suspects like Albert Almora Jr., Ian Happ and Kyle Schwarber and to some extent Javier Baez have even come up. Yet, Baez and the Cubs are reportedly working towards a long-term extension, so any trade talks around him have been silenced.
But the day of reckoning has come after a disappointing 2019 season and not even Anthony Rizzo can escape the Cubs trade rumors. In Passan’s latest column for ESPN, he doesn’t just bring up the thought that the Cubs are looking to make changes, he paints the picture of a desperate front office. But there’s no way Theo would get desperate enough to trade Rizzo, right?
Yes, that would be unlikely, Passan admits, but it still sounds like something big is going to go down eventually this winter.
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Via ESPN.
The Chicago Cubs have been, according to various executives, “aggressive,” “manic,” “motivated” and “obvious” in their desire to trade someone. Or someones. The Cubs are going to make a move. They’re just not sure what yet.
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It’s why Rizzo’s name comes up in discussions. He seems untradable. The likelihood of the Cubs moving him certainly is lower than the others. But even he could move in this climate.
The Cubs know they need to be creative. They also know the first move they make is perhaps the most important and will set the tone for their winter.
Passan still describes Contreras as the most likely trade chip for the Cubs, while Bryant seems less likely to be dealt because of his cost.
But at this point, the trade speculation surrounding the Cubs is just that: talk. There hasn’t been the slightest indication of any team being in discussions with the Cubs to trade for one of their players.
But it’s not like this is all made up either. I mean, Cubs GM Jed Hoyer literally said last month that there will be change.
But Rizzo? It’s not going to be Rizzo. There’s just no way that makes any sense for the Cubs. Though, not a lot of things have made sense for the Cubs during the past year.
