In 2015, the Chicago Cubs took the step many thought wouldn't happen until 2016 or 2017 and became a contender. While they were able to win 97 games during the regular season and make it to the NLCS before getting knocked out by the New York Mets, there are still holes on this team to fill. Numerous rumors have been flying around about what exactly they'll do and who will be moved where, but if they were smart, they'd trade Javier Baez and not Starlin Castro.
A lot of Cubs fans and baseball analysts may not agree with that, but there are plenty of reasons why it makes more sense than any other option.
First off, consider the amount of return value for Baez compared to Castro. There aren't a lot of teams out there, if any, who would give up quality starting pitching for Castro at this point in time. He's simply been inconsistent over the past couple of seasons and MLB franchises have certainly taken notice. However, Baez would command the attention of almost anyone out there, and the chances of landing a big difference-maker such as Sonny Gray increase immensely -- or at the very least, talks about possible deals could happen.
Then one must think about the current contract situations of each player. Right now, Baez has six years of control within the organization. While that's a plus for the Cubs, it's also a plus for any team looking to deal for him, and only improves his value. Meanwhile, Castro has four years left on his deal worth about $37 million in salary. Contrary to Baez's situation, Castro's deal isn't super team-friendly for the amount of production he's been giving the past couple of seasons. That may put teams off just a bit more when considering any deal involving him.
Finally -- and this kind of goes against everything bad I've been saying about Castro and everything good I've been saying about Baez -- but Castro is actually better for the Cubs in the immediate future than Baez.
Call me crazy all you want, but hear me out.
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