Grading a wild Chicago Cubs-Cincinnati Reds trade for Marcus Stroman

The Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds will likely not link up for a Marcus Stroman trade. But…what if it were plausible?

We give Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller some credit — putting your name on a trade proposal is a bold move and will typically result in the wrong kind of social media outreach. Miller did just that, as the trade deadline continues to close in.

Miller suggested a deal between two division rivals — the Cubs and Reds of the NL Central — to fix Cincinnati’s pitching woes. This, of course, would only occur if Chicago were to fall out of contention. For now, only a few games separate these two teams.

Here is what the trade might look like:

Is this sort of 1-for-1 deal, the Cubs take a chance by taking on a prospect in Encarnacion-Strand, a player with tremendous potential and power who can play either of the corner infield positions. The Reds, meanwhile, acquire at least half a season of Stroman, with the hopes he might consider re-signing there long term.

Encarnacion-Strand is a top-100 prospect, so this is significant value for a player of Stroman’s stature in the final year of his deal.

Would the Cubs make this trade?

Chicago would likely make this trade, despite Stroman residing in the same division. Just think about it — they get a top-100 prospect, and one on the rise, in exchange for half a season of Stroman? That’s a steal, and something the Reds should really think about before they go through with their end of this bargain.

Would the Reds make this trade?

Likely not. While Cubs fans won’t be happy watching Stroman lead the Reds to the postseason, Cincinnati fans would have to put up with Encarnacion-Strand in their division for years to come. MLB Pipeline sums it up well:

"“The Reds knew they were getting someone with very impressive raw power who was already tapping into it, with Encarnacion-Strand finishing his 2022 breakout with 32 homers, a .587 slugging percentage and 114 RBIs to boot. What impressed them even more was a better feel to hit than many expected when he entered pro ball. Sure, he swings and misses some, with a K rate of 25.5 percent in 2022 and he can cut down on his chasing of soft stuff out of the zone, but there’s an advanced approach here. He uses all fields and can hit the ball out everywhere, showing a willingness to go the other way with two strikes.”"

For all we know, Encarnacion-Strand could flop…but it’s too big of a risk.

In fact, both teams would rather this idea not become reality.