MLB Trade Deadline 2019: 5 players the Cubs should trade for

3. Shane Greene

Giants reliever Will Smith is the best closer potentially on the trade block at the deadline this year, but the Cubs won’t have the assets available to acquire him. They simply don’t have an elite prospect good enough to pry Smith away from the Giants, which is fine, because trading Gleyber Torres for a few months of Aroldis Chapman looks like a slightly regrettable deal three years removed from the trade. The Cubs likely still win the World Series without Chapman, who was out of gas by the end of Game 7, and could have Torres starting up the middle.

The depth of the trade deadline reliever crop drops off quickly past Smith, but Detroit Tigers closer Shane Greene should draw plenty of interest from contenders. The 30-year-old is having a career season and represented Detroit in the All-Star Game. Greene has a 1.25 ERA in 36 innings with 22 saves and is striking out 10 per-nine. The right-hander has been dominant, but his 3.80 FIP points to some regression coming in the second half.

The Cubs still don’t know exactly what they’ll get from Craig Kimbrel down the stretch, and have to consider the possibility that missing the first three months of the season has set him back more than could be predicted. While it’s still too early to press the panic button on Kimbrel, it does make sense to target relief options who have closing experience.

It’s difficult to predict the cost to acquire Greene, who took until his sixth MLB season to reach this level of dominance. He had a 5.12 ERA in 66 games last year, but is still inexpensive. The Tigers should probably look to cash out now instead of hoping for a repeat performance next season.