Headlines

  • Cardinals To Promote Nolan Gorman, Matthew Liberatore; Tyler O’Neill To IL
  • Max Scherzer Likely Out Six To Eight Weeks Due To Oblique Strain
  • Chris Paddack Undergoes Tommy John Surgery
  • Brandon Lowe Diagnosed With Stress Reaction, Shut Down For At Least Three Weeks
  • DeGrom MRI Reveals “Continued Healing”; Still No Clear Timetable For Return
  • Boras: Michael Conforto Not Ruling Out Late-Season Return
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2021-22 MLB Free Agent Tracker
    • 2021-22 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2022-23 MLB Free Agent List
    • Top 50 Free Agents
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2022
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Arbitration Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

If The Cubs Become Sellers

By Tim Dierkes | June 1, 2011 at 8:07am CDT

At 23-30, the Cubs are 8.5 games back in the NL Central and eight back in the wild card.  Their chance of making the playoffs is 1.1%, according to Baseball Prospectus.  The team's front office has to start thinking about a potentially huge offseason and how they can improve and free up even more cash for 2012.  Which Cubs might be available this summer?

  • Alfonso Soriano, currently on the DL with a strained left quad, always has to be presumed available.  The 35-year-old left fielder is showing good pop, but with a walk rate down to 3.2% he's a one-trick pony.  He earns $18MM per year through 2014, a contract I'd probably deem immovable if the Blue Jays hadn't managed to send Vernon Wells packing.  Soriano has a full no-trade clause.
  • Also close to immovable is righty Carlos Zambrano, who earns about $18MM this year and next.  He's pitched OK, with a reduced strikeout rate but the best control of his career.  Pitching is always coveted at the trade deadline, but the Cubs would need Zambrano's consent to make a deal.
  • Third baseman Aramis Ramirez has been healthy this season but his power has been missing.  He earns $14.6MM this year and his $16MM option for 2012 vests upon a trade.  He also has full no-trade rights.  A trade could be worked out if Ramirez displays power over the next six weeks or so, consents to a trade, and waives the '12 option.  Stranger things have happened.
  • Outfielder Kosuke Fukudome has trade protection as well.  At .432 he has the fourth-best OBP in the National League, though he has only six extra-base hits.  He could help a lot of teams, but is known for his fast starts and has a troublesome $13.5MM salary.
  • Starter Ryan Dempster saw his ERA top out at 9.58 on April 28th.  He then turned in a 3.08 mark in May.  Dempster has a $14MM player option for 2012 with no buyout.  This is a tricky one – he could get more total dollars and years on the open market, but he has a strong relationship with the Cubs and he wouldn't find a $14MM salary.  Dempster must approve any trade.
  • First baseman Carlos Pena had an awful April, but smacked seven home runs in May.  He's earning $10MM on a one-year deal and could be one of the better bats available.
  • Southpaw John Grabow is earning $4.8MM this year.  He hasn't been anything special against lefties and hasn't been used as a specialist.  He'd be hard to move.
  • Reliever Kerry Wood has been decent this year and would be a popular trade deadline target.  However, he took a big discount to come back to Chicago at $1.5MM, so he'll probably only be dealt if that's his preference.
  • Extra outfielder Reed Johnson is having a strong year in a limited sample, but he's on the DL due to back spasms.  If healthy, the Cubs figure to be open to moving him.
  • The Cubs have a lot of overpaid, somewhat useful players.  Guys like Dempster and Pena could generate a lot of interest, but in general GM Jim Hendry would have to assume salary to have another active trade deadline.  The Cubs were willing to eat $4.2MM in salary to move Derrek Lee, Ted Lilly, and Ryan Theriot last year.  Would Hendry resist another fire sale, knowing that those moves could be his last as Cubs GM?  Would the Cubs install someone else to conduct the proceedings, as the Diamondbacks did last year?
  • We've covered the Padres, Pirates, Twins, and Astros as potential sellers as well.
Share 10 Retweet 30 Send via email0

Chicago Cubs Potential Sellers

Poll: Which Surprise Teams Will Stay In Contention?
Main
Quick Hits: Hanrahan, Jackson, Blue Jays
View Comments (0)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.
Log in Register

ad: 300x250_1_MLB

    Top Stories

    Cardinals To Promote Nolan Gorman, Matthew Liberatore; Tyler O’Neill To IL

    Max Scherzer Likely Out Six To Eight Weeks Due To Oblique Strain

    Chris Paddack Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

    Brandon Lowe Diagnosed With Stress Reaction, Shut Down For At Least Three Weeks

    DeGrom MRI Reveals “Continued Healing”; Still No Clear Timetable For Return

    Boras: Michael Conforto Not Ruling Out Late-Season Return

    Mariners Option Jarred Kelenic, Claim Adrian Sampson

    Kumar Rocker Signs With Frontier League’s Tri-City ValleyCats

    Dodgers Place Clayton Kershaw On Injured List

    Bryce Harper Has Tear In UCL, Won’t Throw For Four Weeks

    Padres Sign Robinson Cano

    Gerardo Parra Retires

    Mariners Promote George Kirby, Place Ken Giles On 60-Day IL

    Diamondbacks To Promote Alek Thomas

    A’s Reinstate Ramon Laureano, Designate Jorge Juan

    Recent

    Cardinals To Promote Nolan Gorman, Matthew Liberatore; Tyler O’Neill To IL

    Darwinzon Hernandez Undergoes Knee Surgery

    Joe Panik Retires

    Brewers Outright Alec Bettinger

    Diamondbacks Select Grayson Greiner

    Cubs Reinstate Marcus Stroman

    Rangers Option Nick Solak, Release Matt Carpenter

    Braves Win Arbitration Hearing Against Luke Jackson

    Max Scherzer Likely Out Six To Eight Weeks Due To Oblique Strain

    Avila: Manning Exit Not Due To Injury

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Trevor Story Rumors
    • Frankie Montas Rumors
    • Michael Conforto Rumors
    • Arbitration Tracker
    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Go Ad-Free
    • MLB Player Chats
    • 2021-22 MLB Free Agent Tracker
    • 2021-22 MLB Free Agent List
    • Top 50 Free Agents
    • 2022-23 MLB Free Agent List
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2022
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    ad: 160x600_MLB

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • Feeds by Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    hide arrowsFOX Sports Engage Network scroll to top
    Close

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version