The Winter Meetings have arrived and the Cubs need to make moves. Here are the latest rumor surrounding the Cubs.
So, the Cubs need infield depth and there are several players available in free agency, but what’s going on in the trade market? Did somebody say the Texas Rangers?
Cubs Rumored Among Teams Talking to Rangers About Jurickson Profar https://t.co/Jowha8QANE #Cubs Insider
— Cubs Insider (@realcubsinsider) December 10, 2018
One source says Cubs/Rangers have talked Jurickson Profar.
— TomLoxas (@TomLoxas) December 10, 2018
So, Profar is going to be 26-years-old in February and has two years left of arbitration. How much would the Cubs have to trade in a deal?
Well, here’s what Evan Grant reported.
While Machado is the prize for teams seeking somebody for the left side of the infield, the Rangers may have a much cheaper model available for merely the price of a couple of pitching prospects: Jurickson Profar.
To be clear, several teams are in the market for another infielder, so the Cubs will be facing some competition if they truly are looking to trade for Profar.
In 2018, the versatile infielder hit 20 home runs, drove in 70 runs, scored 82 runs, hit 35 doubles and had a .335 OBP. It was his first full year in the big leagues, after missing all of 2014-15 with injuries. His career slash line is at .240/.321/.387. That may not look as appealing in terms of getting another infielder, but if the Cubs are serious about him then it becomes more clear that they want to move on from Addison Russell.
And by the way, Profar’s numbers are slightly better than Russell’s and because of the time missed, you can argue he has more time to develop into a better player than Russell who has been underwhelming offensively. Profar has played 352 MLB games compared to 533 games for Russell.
Yet, as much as you want to hype up Profar and his 2018 season, if the Cubs do indeed make a trade for him, here’s a reminder that the Rangers play in one of the most hitter-friendly parks in baseball. Remember how we all looked at Cole Hamels’ splits before the Cubs got him and he was way better away from Texas? Well, Profar’s numbers on the road in 2018, took a huge dip compared to his home stats.
Profar 2018 home/road splits
Home: .271/.362/.511, 11 home runs, 20 doubles, 123 wRC+
Road: .237/.307/.405, 9 home runs, 15 doubles, 93 wRC+
But hey, those road numbers are still better than what Russell did overall in 2018 with the Cubs.
As far as his versatility, Profar could give Joe Maddon another weapon to use all over the field. He’s made at least 33 starts at all four infield positions and 24 more in left field. In 2018, Profar started 61 games at shortstop, 46 at third base, 20 at first and nine at second.
Anyway, get ready for a whole bunch of more rumors this week.
