Chicago Cubs Top Trade Targets & Destinations

 

The Chicago Cubs have finally raised the white flag, and are ready to sell, sell, sell at the trade deadline. The Cubs have been here before, not too long ago, and know how it's done.

Seven years later, the Cubs are again ‘obvious sellers’ at the trade deadline and ready to start over https://t.co/A0buQi4Tw2

— The Athletic Chicago (@TheAthleticCHI) July 10, 2021

There are numerous players on the trade block, so here's a look at some of the top trade targets, and where they might be headed.

Craig Kimbrel

The Cubs' closer has returned to elite status, as his 20 saves and 0.57 ERA can attest. There's no shortage of teams that are in great need of a closer of this magnitude. The Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves come to mind. 

The question with the afore-mentioned teams, is how much of a contender they really are, and would they be willing to sell the farm to get a player of Kimbrel's stature. 

The more likely trade partner here would be a team that is solidly in contention, and already have a decent bullpen, but could use Kimbrel to give them a lock-down fortress at the end of games.

Likely Destinations: San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, or Oakland A's. All of these teams have decent to very good options to close right now, and Kimbrel would be the final piece of the puzzle, giving one team in this group possibly the best bullpen in baseball.

Kris Bryant

The All-Star third baseman becomes a free agent after this season, and has been the subject of a number of rumours. Much of his value is tied into his position flexibility, as he can fill any outfield spot as well. 

The New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers are both in need of a reliable 3B, while New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals are desperate for some outfield help. 

Likely Destination: New York Mets. The combination of a team in 1st place in a weak division (i.e. real contender), with a real serious need (3rd base, plus the flexibility to play him in an outfield spot as well), topped off with the pressure to win in the Big Apple, and the Mets seem like the best candidate here.

Joc Pederson

He isn't a core piece, neither past nor future for the Cubs, so Pederson is an easy choice to go. And he's a veteran of the playoff wars with the Dodgers, including an epic post-season in 2020. 

Teams in need of a solid outfield piece like this include, again, the Braves, Nationals and Yankees, plus the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox. 

Likely Destination: Red Sox or White Sox. Both are 1st place teams, looking for another bat. On the South Side of Chicago, they've had to deal with two starting OF/DH stars all season, in Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez. Both are nearing returns, but Pederson would make a great insurance piece. And in Boston, their OF could definitely use the offensive jolt Pederson could provide. 

Others on the block:

Javy Baez and Anthony Rizzo: Both are free agents, though there's a lot of talk about Rizzo being a lifer at Wrigley. Baez has some troubling underlying metrics that could scare teams off, if the rental price is too high.

Starting pitcher Zach Davis, as well as relievers Andrew Chafin and Ryan Tepera are all strong candidates to be traded as well. Too many teams to mention in the market for pitching. Projecting their landing spots is a total crapshoot. 

This will indeed be a busy two weeks on the North Side. 

Photo Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports