Chicago president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer is in the last season of his contract. He knows how important is to support the roster he’s built. In the past, Hoyer has received criticism from Cubs fans for not doing just that. Now, with manager Craig Counsell firmly in control of the big-league squad, it’s time to put even more faith in the manager and his players.
With starting pitchers Shota Imanaga and Matthew Boyd leading the way, Chicago’s rotation isn’t in the worst shape. However, it needs more arms. At least one, if not two more preferably. One of those arms would hopefully be a top-level arm that can pitch in the postseason. In this scenario, it wouldn’t hurt to ask the Minnesota Twins for their number one starter, Joe Ryan. The 29-year-old is in his arbitration years, so he could be on Chicago’s North Side for a while. How much would Hoyer have to give the Twins in order to bring Ryan to Wrigley Field?
Cubs package for Joe Ryan should include major-league ready arm
After last season’s collapse, things were supposed to be different in Minnesota. The roster remained strong and was expected to compete for postseason spot once again. However, they are currently nine games out of first in the AL Central at 50-53. The Wild Card spots are closer, as they are four games out of the final spot held by the Boston Red Sox at the moment. There is still quite a bit of talent left on the roster, so trading Ryan should come with the caveat of receiving major league ready pieces back.
Two such pieces should be an outfielder like Kevin Alcantara or Owen Caissie, plus one of the Cubs’ young major league ready starters like Ben Brown or Jordan Wicks. One of them could fill Ryan’s role in the rotation. In Alcantara and Caissie, they have an outfielder ready to play in one of the corner outfield spots, most likely left field.
Let’s say the package for Ryan would include Wicks to replace Ryan and Caissie to play left field. This would allow the team to move veteran outfielder Harrison Bader to a contending team so he could play a role elsewhere. Matt Wallner would likely stay in right field but could play elsewhere as well, while Trevor Larnach could also contribute in the rotation as well. This would allow one of those prospects to continue their growth at the major league level.
One more piece would likely seal the deal, and if the Twins are planning on moving bullpen arms like Jhoan Duran or Griffin Jax, then getting a relief arm would be wise too. If Chicago sent back an arm like Keegan Thompson, who has experience in multiple roles in the big leagues, then getting Ryan feels like it can happen. If the Cubs do indeed acquire the current Twins ace, then their postseason odds will certainly increase in return.
