The Chicago Cubs, clinging to a slim lead on the second wildcard spot in the National League playoff chase, are reportedly thinking big at this year's trade deadline. According to CBS Chicago, Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein was among the first to call the Detroit Tigers about former Cy Young winner David Price.
The ace left-hander has been stellar in 2015, posting a 9-3 record with a 2.32 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 19 starts, and he would immediately become the Cubs' top starter. Price would form a three-headed monster atop their rotation alongside left-hander Jon Lester, their prized offseason acquisition, and right-hander Jake Arrieta, who has quietly outperformed Lester by a fairly wide margin.
There are expected to be as many as eight suitors for Price with a number of teams in the mix for wildcard races in the American and National Leagues, but the Cubs have the ability to trump every other team with their treasure chest of prospects. On top of that, they aren't expected to need to deal away their top guns because of Price's contract status.
Price is going to be a free agent at the end of the year, and is sure to command upward of $200 million on the open market. With the reasonable expectation that Price could be a rental arm for the postseason chase, teams would rightfully be loath to give up elite prospects that are under team control several years into the future.
There are also other desirable arms on the trade market. The Philadelphia Phillies have been dangling Cole Hamels since spring training, and while his production can't match Price's, he's under a reasonable contract running through 2019. The Cincinnati Reds haven't officially made Johnny Cueto available, but he's widely expected to move. The Chicago Cubs are also open to trading right-hander Jeff Samardzija.
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