Clearly, the Cubs cannot make all these deals. Without a swift turnaround, Soriano, Marmol and Soto have limited trade value even at positions of need for contending clubs. Dempster's no-trade clause also limits the probability that he can be moved out of town as well. However, the Cubs need to leverage any performances exceeding expectation into increased talent in their minor league organization, especially young arms.
If anyone inquires on Jeff Baker, Blake DeWitt, or Reed Johnson, Theo and Jed should not hesitate to take whatever you can get for them. Soft-hitting Darwin Barney should be made expendable by the performance of Adrian Cardenas in AAA (.338 BA, .978 OPS, 3 K in 78 PAs). Paul Maholm, Kerry Wood, and Shawn Camp, though inexpensive, are also easily-replaceable parts. Calls for DeJesus, LaHair, and even Garza cannot be flatly rejected as the Cubs should be willing to hear out any overwhelming deals coming their way.
In short, only Starlin, Rizzo, and maybe Samardzija are untouchable at the moment. There are few players with guaranteed roles should the Cubs move into contention in future years. In all likelihood, the lack of power, inadequate bullpen and sketchy end of the rotation will leave the Cubs chasing .500 in vain for the rest of 2012. The focus of roster changes should be on moving out veteran parts to contenders for high-ceiling prospects. A strong minor league will only benefit the big club in future years, either contributing at Wrigley or holding value to move for veterans of their own as the team moves towards a playoff berth.
Over the next few months, we'll profile prospects that may contribute to a team in, say, 2015. What will the outfield look like? Are there any young aces in the system? Who will team with Rizzo and Castro on the infield? Prospects are always a difficult animal to dissect with injuries and changes to form common amongst young players. However, one thing can be certain--the Cubs need to move major league chips out in order to build talent depth for that 2015 contender.
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb Series
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