Trading for sub-par relievers and lesser known prospects are generally not franchise-altering moves. In the case of the Chicago Cubs, though, these seemingly insignificant moves signal success on the horizon.
Since Theo Epstein took the reigns in October of 2011, the organizational focus has been on acquiring young, cornerstone caliber talent. The plan is that such talent will be able to bring multiple titles to a fan base that has been deprived of glory for more than 100 years.
With potential emerging stars climbing the ranks of the minor league system, the Cubs are going to be calling up impact talent as soon as the rosters expand in September of 2014. In order to make room for the future core, though, room must be cleared; players on the current last place staff must be moved, even if they are long-time members of the team.
A perfect example of a “breaking some eggs” style move was the recent DFA-ing of former Gold-Glove second baseman Darwin Barney. The move was not made due to Barney’s talent (or lack there of), but instead to make room for Arismendy Alcantara or Javier Baez. The proof of this is in the statistics.
Darwin Barney has a BABIP (batting average on balls in play) below his career average in 2014, although according to WAR (wins above replacement) has still been more valuable to the team than Luis Valbuena (.7 WAR vs .2). Junior Lake strikes out at a higher rate than 58% of Major League pitchers. Barney, statistically, is a more significant contributor when on the field than either Junior Lake or Luis Valbuena. Why let Barney walk, then? Simply bescause space needs to be made.
The same case can be made for Emilio Bonifacio, who was part of a deadline deal including James Russell to acquire a catching prospect from the Atlanta Braves. Bonifacio was having one of the best seasons of his career (only better season could be 2011), though he was eating up playing time that could go to Alcantara. A super utility player, Bonifacio played almost exclusively at second base and center field in his short stint in Chicago. Those same positions are manned by Alcantara, who figures into the future plans.
With Barney and Bonifacio gone, the Cubs have a gaping hole at second base. In other words, there are no established players blocking the young studs that should be up soon.
Baez is the apparent heir at second base, as noted by Epstein and General Manager Jed Hoyer, though his timetable for a call up is cloudy. The elite bat speed of the charismatic middle infielder has carried him through the Minor League system, and he has hit over .300 in his last 60 Triple-A games. With a strikeout rate still hovering around 30%, though, many question whether Baez is ready to make the leap. When he is, the Cubs should not hesitate to give him a call-up.
If Baez is not the next player to make his Wrigley debut, expect one of a number of smaller-named candidates to man the position for the rest of the season. Logan Watkins would be a candidate to get another cup of coffee, as he is already on the 40-man roster. Watkins fits the mold of the next non-Baez second base filler: a player that can be moved down easily, though will not bring back anything in a trade. A low-value space eater.
The time is likely to come for Valbuena in the near future as well, when he is part of a trade that is more about clearing space than it is about the return. The Cubs have a haul of third basemen in all ranks of their farm system that could effectively take Valbeuna’s spot in the near future. The same applies to Nate Schierholtz, who no one would have predicted back in ’13 to still be on the team after the ’14 deadline. That happens when you have a season OBP (on base percentage) of .243, though.
None of this is to say that the Cubs are tossing aside the returns on their players. In return for Bonifacio and Russell, the Cubs picked up switch-hitting catching prospect Victor Caratini, ranked #6 in the Braves system. The focus of the Cubs recent moves is opening holes, though, and not immediately filling them.
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