3 Cubs trade scenarios that make too much sense not to happen

Starling Marte is the offensive outfielder the Cubs have desperately needed.

The Cubs’ .186 team batting average in June is nothing to write home about. Nearly everyone in the lineup is slumping, and it’s a story we’ve heard with this group far too often over recent years. Still, there’s reason to believe their streakiness is bound to turn things around soon just as they did as one MLB’s best teams in May.

The biggest question will be from the outfield, an area where the Cubs have lacked consistent offensive production since Nick Castellanos signed with the Reds. Jayson Heyward and Ian Happ aren’t getting it done, but bringing a player like Starling Marte can inject some life into this team.

In 153 plate appearances, Marte is slashing .320/.425/.508 with five home runs and 16 RBIs in 35 games this season. He’s also swiped 10 bases in 11 attempts.

Marte is exactly the type of on-base and “put the ball in play” presence the Cubs severely do not have at the moment. His 18.3 strikeout percentage is less nearly two points less than the MLB average (20.3%), and it’d help a Cubs team that holds the fifth-highest strikeouts in the majors this season.

The price tag shouldn’t be too high either. Marte is 32 years old and he’s owed $12.5 million this season before becoming a free agent for 2022.