The Chicago Cubs are assuredly going to be buyers ahead of this year’s trade deadline.
As sellers during the last few, Jed Hoyer and his front office will be approaching this one differently, looking to boost their current roster that has a real chance of competing for a World Series.
Who they might go after will be interesting to see.
Bullpen arms, third basemen and starting pitchers were all circled as potential targets, but the relief staff has been performing better as of late, Matt Shaw has looked like a different player in his second stint in The Show and Shota Imanaga’s return from the injured list will boost the rotation.
That doesn’t mean the Cubs won’t go after any of those positions, but things don’t seem as dire as they once were.
When it comes to a potential third base option, though, R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports named Chicago as a fit for former superstar prospect Yoan Moncada.
The slugger is having a bounce back season with the Los Angeles Angels, slashing .240/.339/.510 with six homers and 19 RBI across 29 games for an OPS+ that’s above the league average of 100.
He also is starting to heat up at the plate, hitting four homers in his last 15 games and two in his last seven.
Moncada was a coveted international free agent coming out of Cuba, getting comped to Robinson Cano where he was deemed a generational five-tool player.
He flashed that high upside in 2019 when he slashed .315/.367/.548 with 25 homers, 64 extra-base hits and 79 RBI for an OPS+ of 140. But after that season where he finished 19th in AL MVP voting, he only had one other year where he was an above-average hitter.
Injuries and inflated strikeout numbers have largely plagued his career, and that prompted the Chicago White Sox to decline his club option this past offseason to let him hit the open market.
Now 30 years old, it appears like he has figured some things out even if he’ll never live up to the hype that was placed upon him when he was ranked as a top 10 prospect at his peak.
Why would the Cubs take a chance on Moncada?
That is the question.
Shaw is the third baseman of their future, so if he continues to play the way he has since being called back up, then there wouldn’t be much of a reason for Chicago to give up assets for Moncada.
However, if Shaw starts to slip and the Cubs feel like they need another power-hitting infield option, then they might think the switch-hitter could provide that for them if he keeps his bounce back showing going.
The cost to land Moncada from a prospect and financial perspective likely won’t be steep, either, so that’s something that could be attractive to Chicago.
Anderson believes the slugger could be moved this year and that the Cubs are a fit, so this will be something to keep an eye on.
