What Would a Cubs-A's Trade for Luis Severino Look Like? Here's One Proposal

May 22, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics starting pitcher Luis Severino (40) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

After yesterday's report that the Athletics "can't wait" to trade Luis Severino, and a report last week that the Chicago Cubs are keeping an eye on the A's ace, it feels like a good time to put together a trade proposal between the two clubs. The A's will be after pitching in any deal, which is fairly common when they make a trade. They could also use a boost defensively, so that is where we took this one.

As for the what the A's would give up, in this proposal, we have Luis Severino, infield prospect Darell Hernaiz, and $15 million headed to Chicago. Hernaiz doesn't appear likely to get another shot with the green and gold, and with Severino due roughly $10 million this season, and $25 million next season, $15 million seemed like a good starting point.

One small detail could be that the A's pay any money that's included towards next year's salary, since they seem to be in the clear for this year's payroll--at least in terms of avoiding a grievance from the MLBPA. It may be tougher to lure big-dollar free agents next year, however, so having that $15 million still attached for 2026 could help the A's avoid any suspicions of wrongdoing.

Severino also has a player option for the 2027 campaign, which is worth $22 million. That extra year could end up complicating any potential Severino trade package, but let's stick with what we have for right now. With that established, here are the three Cubs prospects that caught our eyes for this hypothetical swap.

The A's need some upper-level pitching to make pretty much any deal work, and grabbing a solid defender wouldn't be the worst idea either. In this hypothetical trade package, the Cubs would offer three top 30 prospects according to MLB Pipeline, but nobody near the very top of the list. For a club looking to make it through a tough National League in the postseason, this could be a solid win-win deal for both sides.

The first player Chicago would send to West Sacramento is No. 8 prospect Jaxon Wiggins, who would headline the package. The 23-year-old was the No. 68 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft and is currently pitching in Double-A with the Knoxville Smokies. He has a solid fastball/slider combo that grade as a 65 and 60 on the 20-80 scout scale, along with a good 50 changeup.

In seven starts with the Smokies this season he's 2-0 with a 2.38 ERA across 34 innings of work, striking out 43 batters and walking 14. Landing Wiggins may be a bit of a high bar for this deal, but he's the type of guy that the A's will be looking to secure: a young player with some upside and a higher floor.

The second piece of the deal would be another right-hander, Cubs No. 14 prospect Jack Neely. The 6-foot-8 Neely has a tremendous slider (70) and an upper 90's fastball that grades out as a 60. He made his MLB debut last season with Chicago, holding a 9.00 ERA across six innings of work, giving up eight hits and a pair of walks while striking out seven.

This season he has pitched exclusively in the minors, and he holds a 6.91 ERA in Triple-A Iowa in 24 appearances out of the bullpen. While he has struck out 36 batters in 27 1/3 innings of work, he's also walked 25 while allowing 17 hits. Neely is the kind of flier that the A's tend to target in both trades and minor-league free agency. If his command comes around, he could be a big piece of a future bullpen.

On June 24, Neely reportedly left his outing early with the team's athletic trainer and was placed on the 7-day IL. That likely wouldn't deter the A's from adding him in a potential deal, as they've acquired numerous injured players in the past.

The final piece would be No. 21 prospect Brett Bateman. The 23-year-old was an eighth rounder of the Cubs back in 2023 and has patrolled centerfield exclusively for the Iowa affiliate. He has basically zero pop, but tremendous bat-to-ball skills, is a 70 runner, 70 fielder, and has a 55 arm grade. Those tools would make an effective fourth outfielder for the A's to help nudge their defense in the right direction.

This season in Double-A he's batting .249 with a .361 OBP, with just one home run and ten RBI, but he's also swiped 13 bags in the minors and has walked (34) nearly as much as he's struck out (45).

To secure all three of these players, the A's may have to sweeten the pot a bit more than what was proposed, but these are the types of guys that the A's could be after as they look to move forward towards contention. This would serve as a nice starting point in the negotiations at the very least.