Cubs are buyers now, but a bigger prize may be waiting later in Ohtani
The Cubs became bona fide buyers Monday. Roughly 90 minutes before facing the Reds at Wrigley Field, the Cubs made a deal for Washington third baseman Jeimer Candelario, who began his MLB career on the North Side.
Not long after, they added a bullpen arm, getting right-hander Jose Cuas from Kansas City for outfielder Nelson Velazquez. The Cubs are sending two prospects - left-handed pitcher D.J. Herz and infielder Kevin Made to the Nationals.
Before the game, Cubs manager David Ross said he's in constant contact with president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer on trade talks and team needs.
"Me and Jed talk every day, so those are always ongoing conversations throughout the season," Ross said. "I landed last night (from St. Louis) and went up to his office. I think everybody's aware of areas where we feel like we can improve."
Candelario was arguably the best bat available. He'd rank second on the Cubs right now in both home runs and RBI. But it's possible the real heavy hitter is hanging over everything that happens this week.
Two local reports suggested the Cubs plan to be players for Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani in free-agency this winter. When the Cubs were swept in Anaheim last month, it seemed quite possible Ohtani's reps would laugh at an inquiry from the Cubs.
Things are a little different now. The recent Cubs win streak helped, but their final record probably won't be a deciding factor. There's no doubt Ohtani would be a perfect fit, bringing elite power, filling the emptiness at designated hitter, as well as his unique talent as an ace pitcher.
The Cubs have been relatively frugal since the pandemic, so there are no massive contracts on the books. If they could also find a way to re-sign Cody Bellinger, Ohtani could complement an impressive lineup, in theory.
If it comes down to a bidding war with the Dodgers and Yankees, the Cubs will likely lose. The Dodgers have let Corey Seager and Trea Turner walk away the past two years, so they seem to be planning something big. But there has to be some advantage to Ohtani being able to join his friend from Japan, Seiya Suzuki, in Wrigleyville.
It's all hope and speculation for now, but Hoyer is surely balancing future plans with trying to add pieces before the MLB trade deadline hits Tuesday at 5 p.m.
Candelario will be a free agent after the season. If Ohtani is a no, he might be someone the Cubs would consider trying to re-sign. Pitcher Marcus Stroman had another rough outing Monday against the Reds, so his free-agent future is more uncertain than it was a month ago.
According to Statcast, Candelario is an above-average defensive third baseman, with an outs above average of 6, the same as Nick Madrigal.
Candelario signed with the Cubs as an undrafted free agent in 2010. The New York native made his MLB debut with the Cubs during the World Series season of 2016. A year later, the Cubs traded him to Detroit with Isaac Paredes for Alex Avila and Justin Wilson - not the greatest transaction in team history.
Cuas, a Dominican Republic native, made his major league debut last season. He's posted a 7-2 record with 1 save and a 4.08 ERA over the past two seasons. The 29-year-old throws sidearm, using mostly a sinker and slider, with a less frequent four-seam. His sinker averages 92.6 miles per hour, according to Statcast.
Fangraph's Stuff-plus metric, which looks at physical characteristics of a pitch, has Cuas' fastball ranked in the top 10 in MLB, so the Cubs clearly think there's something to work with. Opposing batters are hitting .100 off his fastball, though he's thrown it just 16.8% of the time this season.
According to his bio, Cuas was originally a position player who switched to pitcher in 2017 while in the minors for Milwaukee. After being released, he played for the Independent Long Island Ducks and delivered packages for FedEx before signing with Arizona, then the Royals in 2021.
Velazquez technically has the highest OPS of any Cubs hitter this season at .934, but he played in only 13 games, spending most of the year at Iowa. This trade could be a chance for him to get consistent playing time in the majors.
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