The Chicago Cubs Should Trade For Brett Anderson

The Chicago Cubs are rebuilding from the ground up. We’ve heard it time and time again, and there’s no reason to think they’ll be aggressive on the trade market as a buyer right? I have a guy the Cubs should take a hard look at as a buyer and it’s the Oakland A’s left-hander Brett Anderson.

I view Anderson as an ace in the making. The 25-year-old left-hander has already had his Tommy John surgery and came back with nasty stuff last year. He’s shown he can pitch at a high level when healthy, and again, his stuff is downright dirty. The A’s are not going to be able to keep this guy around as a big year this year will make him extremely expensive. Throw in the fact Oakland has a TON of young pitching in the system and there’s no doubt in my mind that Anderson is available right now.

The Cubs don’t have a left handed top of the rotation starter in the system–period. There’s an argument to be made that the Cubs don’t even have a top of the rotation right handed starter in the system. Regardless, that’s why the Cubs should strike now. I don’t think they’d have to trade Javier Baez, Albert Almora or Jorge Soler in any trade, which is why it makes sense.

Again, Anderson is only 25 years old, so it’s not like they’d be trading for an old veteran by any means. I also question if they could get him on an open market for anything under $120 million after a big year, which is why I’d also turn around and give him an extension of five years at $65-70 million. Is it hefty? It is. However, I believe Anderson would immediately be the ace the Cubs don’t have.

What would it take to get him? Again, I don’t think the Cubs would have to tap their top five prospects, but a deal around Dan Vogelbach makes sense. Vogelbach is a young power hitter without a position because he’s currently blocked by Anthony Rizzo. I know it’s possible Rizzo could be moved to the outfield at some point if the Cubs hang on to Vogelbach, but again, where are they going to get the top of the rotation shut down ace?

I’d love to see the Cubs be a buyer in this instance. As long as they don’t gut their top prospects, Anderson would be the perfect trade target for a team that needs an ace.