Cubs rumors: Chicago scouting 2 Mets minor leaguers on Friday night

According to reports, the Cubs have begun scouting some of the Mets top prospects at their Single-A affiliate St. Lucie.

The Chicago Cubs have gone from leading their division to becoming trade deadline sellers in just a few weeks. President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer hinted at the team’s direction on Thursday, and it appears the Cubs front office is already looking at all their potential options.

USA TODAY’s Michael Mayer has reported Chicago is “heavily” scouting the St. Lucie Mets at the moment. Among the targeted players are the top prospects in the Mets’ farm system which consists of pitcher JT Ginn (No.6) and utility man Jaylen Palmer (No.12)

While it’s not reported who the Mets would be interested in, one name on their radar could be All-Star Kris Bryant. A combination of prospects like Ginn and Palmer could be enough to make a deal go through depending on which team is taking on the remainder of Bryant’s $19.5 million salary in 2021.

The Cubs and Mets could have a potential trade in the works.

Ginn is a hard-throwing right-hander who recently made his comeback from Tommy John surgery this season. The 22-year-old has made six starts at Single-A and posted a 3.04 ERA to go along with a 0.975 WHIP and 7.1 K/9 rate over 26.2 innings. MLB Pipeline believes his mid-90s fastball, which can touch as high as 97, and mid-80s slider should profile Ginn as a “mid-rotation” starter.

Palmer, 20, is a bit younger and split time between second base (11 games), third base (20 games) and center field (10 games) this season at Single-A St. Lucie. MLB Pipeline describes Palmer as having “standout power” but he has yet to hit a home run in 170 at-bats. Palmer is slashing .253/.375/.335 with 17 RBIs in 208 plate appearances. He also has 19 stolen bases in 21 attempts.

Could this be the future for Chicago’s former MVP? Again, just how much the Cubs could get in return for Bryant and their other trade chips ultimately depends on how much money they want to spend this season. The more money, the bigger and better the trade for the Cubs.