Padres division-by-division trade targets: NL Central

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JULY 12: Kris Bryant #17 of the Chicago Cubs is congratulated by teammates in the dugout after scoring the game-winning run in the 8th inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field on July 12, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. The Cubs defeated the Pirates 4-3. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JULY 12: Kris Bryant #17 of the Chicago Cubs is congratulated by teammates in the dugout after scoring the game-winning run in the 8th inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field on July 12, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. The Cubs defeated the Pirates 4-3. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JULY 12: Kris  Bryant #17 of the Chicago Cubsbats against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field on July 12, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JULY 12: Kris  Bryant #17 of the Chicago Cubsbats against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field on July 12, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Cubs

The Chicago Cubs are an interesting team to watch this offseason as they’ve hinted at possibly trading some very established Major League players.

And that includes a former MVP in Kris Bryant.

The article above from Cubbies Crib makes a lot of sense and would certainly give the Padres a viable bat in the outfield.

I’ll be honest and tell you I’m not sure how great Bryant is defensively in the outfield, but from what I’ve read it’s not great.

Bryant didn’t have his best year in 2019 but was still an All-Star and hit .282 with 31 home runs and was close to a 4 WAR player.

Another player mentioned in that article is Willson Contreras.

I love the idea of trading for Contreras, maybe even more than Bryant, but it’s hard to believe the Cubs would be willing to part with him.

The catcher hit .272 last year with 24 home runs and is under team control for three more years.

It would take quite the prospect haul for either of these players, but if the Cubs are really shopping them, that’s two huge impact players that could change the dynamic of the Padres lineup.

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