Cubs Will Have to Trade Young Star Like Javier Baez to Fix Bigger Problems

The Chicago Cubs won the World Series in 2016 and advanced to the National League Championship Series in 2017. To say they're in crisis mode would be overly dramatic, bordering on hysterical.

Still, after losing in five games in the NLCS to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Cubbies have glaring holes to fill. And they can no longer count on a once-robust farm system that has been depleted by trades and big league promotions.

As painful as it is, this winter is the time for Chicago to trade one of its young, homegrown stars such as infielder Javier Baez.

Take a deep breath, North Side faithful. Sure, it stings, but hear me out.

First, the Cubs have a logjam in the infield. Kris Bryant is ensconced at third base. Addison Russell, despite battling injury and inconsistency in 2017, is an elite defensive shortstop with 20-homer pop.

Second base could belong to Baez full time in 2018, but that leaves veteran Ben Zobrist and Ian Happ—who posted an .842 OPS with 24 homers in a breakout rookie season—searching for a place to play.

The outfield is an option for both, but they'll have to compete with Kyle Schwarber, Albert Almora Jr. and high-priced Jason Heyward.

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A glut of qualified young hitters is a good problem to have. But Chicago also has serious needs heading into the offseason.

There is uncertainty in the starting rotation, with Jake Arrieta hitting free agency and likely to command a $100 million-plus payday. 

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks and Jose Quintana make for the beginning of a solid starting five, but Chicago will need to acquire at least one front-line starter.

If the club is unwilling or unable to throw ace-level cash at free-agent targets in the Arrieta and Yu Darvish stratosphere, a trade might be the route to take.

The bullpen, likewise, is a concern. Closer Wade Davis is set to test the market, and the whole unit could use an overhaul after posting a 6.21 ERA in the postseason.

Los Angeles has passed the Cubs in the Senior Circuit power rankings. Heck, Chicago had to fight tooth and claw to ward off the pesky Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central.

The Cubs ranked 10th in payroll in 2017, per Spotrac.com. That figure could creep upward, but they're not going to become the Dodgers or Yankees.

Meanwhile, the days when the Cubs could count on addressing their voids via the minor league ranks are over.

An MiLB system that was once the envy of baseball is now mediocre at best. In September, Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter ranked the Cubbies' farm No. 25 in the game.

Eight of the Cubs' top-10 prospects are pitchers, per MLB.com's rankings, but they all are at least a couple of seasons away from contributing at the highest level.

That means executive Theo Epstein and his brain trust have to get creative. They can only throw so much money at their problems.

You could make a case for trading Schwarber—whose name has floated through the rumor mill on multiple occasions—or Russell.

Both Schwarber and Russell wobbled in 2017, however, diminishing their value. Russell slashed .239/.304/.418. Schwarber's line sat at .211/.315/.467 despite a late-season surge.

Baez, on the other hand, is a strong sell-high candidate.

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

The brash 24-year-old posted career highs in home runs (23), RBI (75) and OPS (.796) and put together a 26-game errorless streak while filling in for the injured Russell at shortstop. He won't hit free agency until after the 2021 season and won't be eligible for salary arbitration until 2019.

He's young, athletic, affordable and bursting with tools—the type of player who could command an eye-popping return from any number of suitors. We'd name them, but it's basically every franchise with tradeable assets and a telephone.

By dangling Baez, the Cubs could restock the farm and add an MLB-ready impact arm while simultaneously clearing the depth chart.

They'd also be jettisoning a potential superstar in the making. 

This Cubs team was built on a willingness to take chances and make tough decisions. Here's one of those moments.

"[We] don't believe in anything hard and fast around here," Epstein said recently, per NBC Sports Chicago's Patrick Mooney. "And we'll continue to evaluate it, continue to have those fun discussions about it, and we'll see where it leads going forward." 

He was talking about the possibility of moving Baez to shortstop to replace Russell and sliding Russell to second. But he may as well have been speaking about the team's overarching philosophy. 

The Cubs aren't in crisis mode. They have, however, watched the 2017 World Series from home.

For a franchise on the brink of a dynasty, that requires bold action—even when it stings. 

All statistics and contract information courtesy of Baseball-Reference and MLB.com.