Cubs Trade Idea Sends Top 100 Prospect To Royals For Angel Zerpa, Carter Jensen
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After signing All-Star reliever Carlos Estévez earlier this week, the Kansas City Royals can shift their attention to finding one more big bat.
Beyond Bobby Witt Jr., who finished second in the Most Valuable Player race last season, Kansas City has very limited thump in their lineup. The outfield, which barely finished with a positive combined WAR last season, is the most obvious spot Kansas City can look to upgrade.
Could the Royals take advantage of the Chicago Cubs' overcrowded depth chart to trade for the outfield bat they've been seeking?
The Cubs' Kevin Alcántara is rated a Top 100 prospect by virtually every publication entering what could be his debut season in MLB. The issue is that unless someone gets injured, the Cubs project to have four full-time outfielders in front of Alcántara in Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Kyle Tucker, and Seiya Suzuki.
In a recent article, Preston Farr of Farm to Fountains proposed a deal that would bring Alcántara to Chicago in exchange for lefty reliever Angel Zerpa and top catching prospect Carter Jensen.
"Kevin Alcántara seems worth considering. He’s the team’s top prospect and slashed .278/.353/.428 between Double-A and Triple-A last season," Farr wrote. "Would the Cubs deal Alcántara and his years of control in exchange for a bullpen upgrade and Jensen?"
Alcántara, 22, slashed .272/.353/.428 in 111 games in the minor leagues this past season, including 14 home runs. He got 10 at-bats in the majors at the end of the season, and it's possible the Cubs were auditioning him for other teams to potentially offer trades.
It's a mark of how much stronger the Cubs' farm system is than the Royals' right now that MLB.com ranks Jensen higher in the Royals' system (number five) than Alcantara in Chicago's (number six).
Kansas City needs an injection of youth, and Alcántara could be just the chance they've been searching for.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org
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