According to Mark Gonzalez of the Chicago Tribune, the Cubs have been in contact with a few teams and are actively shopping the 27-year-old outfielder.
According to @MDGonzales the #Cubs are actively shopping OF Matt Szczur
— Sean Sears (@sean_sears6) March 26, 2017
Gonzalez did not name any players or teams that the could be involved in the deal, but the Cubs would probably take a low-level pitching arm. Szczur, for what it’s worth, played in a career-high 107 games last year due to originally the Kyle Schwarber injury and then when Dexter Fowler went down for a month last summer. Szczur was alright in 2016, slashing .259/.312/.400 with 30 runs scored and an impressive .305 BABIP.
While I know none of those numbers scream starter, on a team like the Braves where they don’t expect to compete, Szczur makes sense as a cheap starter. The market for Szczur is not necessarily benefiting the Cubs, especially since moving the outfielder helps them more than another club. But the Cubs also won’t feel pressure to move Szczur, and they won’t just trade him to do it.
I would expect the Cubs to look for more pitching, maybe a left-handed bullpen arm or another forgotten pitcher, similar to that of Eddie Butler or Alec Mills. But, a trade isn’t guaranteed, with still another week of spring training left, there’s still a chance of injury and other randomness.
However, for those fans in love with the fringe outfielder, it might be time to find a new favorite player.
