Imrem: Cubs' Epstein should entertain offers for Schwarber

An acute case of Brockitis - no relation to bronchitis - is spreading again on the North Side.

Cubs president of baseball Theo Epstein is exhibiting symptoms even though he wasn't born yet when the club traded Lou Brock to St. Louis for Ernie Broglio in 1964.

What other explanation can there be for Epstein being so resistant to the concept of trading Kyle Schwarber, currently out for the season with a bum knee?

Brock went on to craft a Hall-of-Fame career and Broglio went on to a life of ignominy in Cubs lore.

Now Brock has to be included in the Cubs' killer-B tradition with the Billy goat, black cat, Bull Durham glove and Bartman ball.

Cub fans fear that five decades from now they'll lament the Schwarber curse, the Albert Almora hex or the Javier Baez jinx, so what you hear is, "Oh, no, don't trade that young guy!"

Never mind that the Cubs evened the Brock score by stealing Ryne Sandberg from the Phillies in 1982 - just about everyone who loves the Cubs shudders that Schwarber could wind up in Cooperstown wearing another team's cap.

Get over it!

Nobody is suggesting to trade Schwarber just to trade Schwarber.

If the Cubs aren't offered a player or players in return that could lift them into the World Series this fall, sit on Schwarber until he's healed for next spring.

But if the Cubs are offered something resembling what they need for Schwarber - and they looked the past month like they need quite a bit - Epstein should consider it.

The Cubs didn't make a significant deal at the 2015 trade deadline because they didn't want to surrender any of their best prospects. Now Epstein sounds again like he's intent on not doing what he doesn't want to do.

Last year the Cubs waited for next year; this year they shouldn't wait another year for next year.

The Cubs aren't just any franchise. This franchise hasn't been to the World Series since 1945 and hasn't won one since 1908.

Tuesday on FS1's "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," even impartial baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said, "I have to acknowledge the Cubs winning the World Series would be great for the business of baseball."

In other words, feel free to go all-in on this year's pennant race and every other year's pennant race until you win one.

Schwarber is an impressive young brute of a slugger. He hit homers last season that were caught by life on other planets.

However, Schwarber isn't Babe Ruth yet and, dare we say, might never be.

A left-handed hitter, he hasn't exactly assaulted left-handed pitching and he still doesn't have a natural position other than designated hitter.

(Just for the record, the National League still doesn't have the DH and the Cubs still are in the National League.)

Schwarber's potential shouldn't be minimized: He could turn out to be a 40- to 50-home-run hitter for the next 15 years.

That's OK. It's really OK if the players the Cubs acquire for him help them get to the World Series. It's even OK if they fall short with the players they acquired for him.

The point is that the Cubs have a chance to win the World Series this season and should take their best shot.

Not even Brockitis should frighten Theo Epstein away from trading Kyle Schwarber.