5 players the Chicago Cubs should trade this offseason

1. Kyle Schwarber

Originally a catcher by primary trade, before a knee injury forced him from behind the plate, Schwarber has slimmed down and improved a bit as a left fielder. He has already set career-high with 36 home runs and 85 RBI this season, with 40 and 90-100 respectively on the radar in the waning weeks of the season.

But Schwarber still doesn’t hit left-handers much (.230, .783 OPS this season). Prior to Aug. 1 his home run total (24) was about the only highlight on his stat line (.223 average, .788 OPS), even if you consider some bad luck (.241 BABIP). Over 41 games (150 plate appearances) since the start of August, Schwarber has 12 home runs with a. 971 OPS (.280 BABIP).

Schwarber also has two years of arbitration eligibility left, and they won’t be as expensive as they will be for Bryant if it plays out year-to-year in that fashion. But he is in line for a contract extension soon, and the Cubs have to decide if their interpretation of his value lines up with how Schwarber’s agent sees him.

Schwarber seems like an ideal American League player, where he can primarily DH and play a little bit of the corner outfield spots (or even some first base) to get to a full complement of plate appearances. Coming of his career-best power numbers, the Cubs should look to sell high this offseason.