Cubs, Royals on Verge of Jorge Soler/Wade Davis Trade
Reports have been flying all night and it has appeared for several hours that a Jorge Soler-for-Wade Davis Trade is imminent. Even so, the crossing of t’s and dotting of i’s may take a while to complete.
Source: While the Cubs/Royals' Wade Davis-for-Jorge Soler trade is "seriously down the road," it is not expected to be completed tonight.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 7, 2016
One assumes that the Cubs, and maybe the Royals, need ample time to review the medicals. It’s a little scary when you hear “forearm strain” associated with a pitcher, so you can bet the Cubs are going to make damn sure there’s nothing lingering. But that might not be the only thing holding this up.
A bulk of the conversation about this trade has centered around the disparity in perceived values of players involved, with opinions swinging wildly in both directions. Regardless of how you view the swap in terms of pure talent, there’s a noticeable gap in terms of age and team control.
Jorge Soler has been the #Cubs No. 1 trade chip all along, but likely would need more from #Royals than just one year of Wade Davis.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 7, 2016
Does this mean the Cubs are trying to angle for another piece or just a little money from the Royals, maybe even an extension with Davis?
Despite the inherent risk in trading for a rental closer with injury concerns, I like this move. I’ve probably been a little too vocal in my skepticism of Soler’s future, but it’s pretty clear that the Cubs are still in win-now mode and aren’t going to have a spot for him to showcase his potential any further. In the end, it comes down to this: I believe the Cubs front office knows more about Jorge Soler than any of us do.
That said, I still think they should have traded him last year after his fantastic postseason performance and the Jason Heyward signing that all but ensured that Soler would never be an everyday player. But that ship has long since sailed. There’s a sense that this move represents the Cubs settling for less than they should/could have gotten, I’ll grant that.
More to come on that when and if it’s consummated.