With all the rumors swirling around the DH coming to the NL, Theo Epstein has to be licking his chops with anticipation.
Why? Kyle Schwarber wouldn’t need to play a position (specifically catcher), and the future backstop of the Chicago Cubs is Willson Contreras. Contreras has come out of nowhere to become arguably the Cubs’ best prospect, mashing last season in Double-A (.891 OPS), and he has continued to mash baseballs in the AFL. This bodes well for the Cubs’ future because it means they don’t need to trade someone to open up a slot.
If MLB adds to the DH to the NL, the Cubs will automatically become better in the outfield and better at the catching position. They can shift Jorge Soler to left, Jason Heyward back to right, and hope Albert Almora can hit enough at the big league level to become the starting CF by 2017.
Or, they can shift Soler to left, leave Heyward in center, and hope someone like Ian Happ or Javier Baez plays to his potential in right field. The options Cubs would have will be mind-blowing.
Sure, I suppose it’s possible the Cubs could try and trade Contreras for pitching, but until MLB makes a decision on the DH, I don’t think it makes sense to trade either him or Schwarber. The Cubs should let things play out and hope that whatever happens gives the franchise more options than it’s ever had across the board.
