MLB Mock Blockbuster: Cubs Land All-Star Eugenio Suarez, Diamondbacks Land 2 Prospects and Cash-Money

The Chicago Cubs sure could use an All-Star third baseman.

I know, I know, every contending MLB team could use an All-Star third baseman, but the Cubs are arguably the most desperate.

Rookie Matt Shaw, their current go-to starter at the hot corner, is a baby at 23, and isn’t yet hitting at a Major League level, managing just a .223 average with six home runs and 25 RBIs in 238 at bats. (His 49 strikeouts aren’t helping his cause.) The Cubs are fighting with the Milwaukee Brewers for the NL Central lead, and a 1.6 war from a regular position player ain’t gonna get it done.

So Cubs Baseball Ops Prez Jed Hoyer—who, here during trade deadline week, damn well better be working the phones hard—needs to float a test balloon down to Arizona and offer Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen a deal along these lines:

Chicago Cubs receive:

Eugenio Suarez (3B)

Arizona Diamondbacks receive:

BJ Murray Jr. (3B - Double-A)

Porter Hodge (RHP)

Cash considerations

ESPN Votes Nay

ESPN.com’s Bradford Doolittle and Jesse Rogers—both of whom know way more about this kind of thing than I ever will—have Arizona sending Suarez to, respectively, Miami and Cincy, with Rogers writing, “[A Reds] trade would spice up the NL Central even more than it already is, boosting the Reds' chances of catching the Chicago Cubs or Milwaukee Brewers at the top while keeping Cincinnati in the hunt for a wild-card spot.”

And tens of thousands of Cubs fans just punched themselves in the throat.

But the throat punching might’ve been a tad premature, as Fantasy Sports On SI is very much on board with a Suarez-to-Chicago thing.

We can even justify it.

Bank Shot

Suarez is having himself a power-centric season—his 36 homers and 87 RBIs rank him, respectively, third and first in MLB—but he’s hitting just .248, and his 116 strikeouts are the 12th-most in the league, problematic for a guy who’s bringing home a cool $15 mil on a team that’s currently four games under .500 and, according to Fangraphs, has a meager 4.1% shot at the postseason.

We’re looking at a ton of cheddar for lopsided production with a stagnant franchise, so moving on from the 34-year-old All-Star simply makes sense.

Sure, Murray and Hodge, while good enough youngsters, won’t blow anybody away, but the cash considerations—which should likely cover the remainder of Suarez’s contract and then some—would be super-enticing for a struggling small market franchise.

Heating Up Chicago’s Hot Corner

Plugging Suarez into the Cubs lineup would be, in a word, sick.

Sandwiching him between Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki—who have combined for 53 dingers and 157 ribbies—would be a nightmare for opposing pitching staffs, especially at Wrigley Field, where Suarez has bopped 16 career round-trippers, the most he’s hit at any opposing stadium.

The question then becomes, is Suarez, who’s in the final year of his deal, a rental or a long-ish-term solution? Do the Cubs give him, say, a three-year contract, or do they let Shaw develop on the job?

If you’re a Cubs fan, you’re probably thinking, “Shaw, Schmaw, forget the future, let’s win now.” With the Brewers in their sights, Chicago should probably focus on getting across the finish line here in 2025.

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