MLB Rumors: Chicago Cubs willing to trade Edwin Jackson, Jake Arrieta?
By Hayden Kane
One thing seems certain: the Chicago Cubs will trade Jason Hammel and his team-friendly, expiring contract to some contending team.
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From there, however, it is unclear what Theo Epstein and company plan to do. They clearly have other pieces that could garner a significant return in a trade. The rumors surrounding Jeff Samardzija are well known by now, but it is not necessarily a sure thing that they will trade their ace.
Jon Morosi adds another wrinkle to that conversation with this tidbit:
As far as how this might tie back into the rumors of the past week or so with Hammel and Samardzija, Morosi notes the following:
It would seem that the results that this due diligence will yield seem fairly predictable. We know the market for Hammel will be hot. We know that the market for Samardzija will be touch and go, depending on how much the Cubs want in exchange and whether or not a team feels they sign lock up Samardzija long term.
From there, it seems reasonable to think that the interest in Edwin Jackson will be minimal to non-existent: he is struggling with an ERA north of 5.00 and he has three years left on the abomination that is his four-year, $52 million contract. Finally, Arrieta would likely intrigue teams because he is first-year arbitration eligible next season. He has also pitched masterfully this year, with a 2.09 ERA in eight starts.
The Cubs will trade Hammel and they probably won’t trade Jackson. From there it seems they could deal Samardzija or Arrieta, but not both of them. At this point it sounds like teams have the chance to move on one or the other until a trade has actually been made.
Teams are always looking for pitching at the deadline and the Cubs have got it. You can bet it’s going to be a busy six weeks for Epstein and the Cubs’ front office.