Chicago Cubs' Most Tradable Assets of 2014-15 Offseason

Fans of the Chicago Cubs aren't familiar with their team buying at the deadline in recent memory, but they really could be doing that either this offseason or at the trade deadline. Based on the arrival of several top hitting prospects, the team seems to be a couple of pieces away from becoming pretty competitive. 

At both the major and minor league level, the Cubs have assets they'd either like to move or that are very movable if they're willing. Obviously, if they decide to move minor league assets, they will be looking for major league talent in return. Depending on what they do in the offseason, that could mean chasing more top-line pitching. 

Other players at the major league level are guys the team may want to get off the books or guys they know could get them a decent return. At any rate, these are five players the team may be able to move this offseason or by next trade deadline.

RHP Edwin Jackson

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There's no doubt the signing of Edwin Jackson to a four-year, $52 million contract is the biggest blemish of the Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer administration to this point of the Cubs rebuild. In fact, Epstein has admitted as much. 

That doesn't mean the team can't trade him under any circumstances, though. Out of the $52 million in his contract, the Cubs still owe him $11 million each of the next two seasons. This is because $8 million of his initial contract was paid as a signing bonus with an $11 million annual salary after that. There are two potential scenarios that could lead to Jackson leaving Chicago this offseason. 

Eat Most of His Contract

The easiest way to get rid of Jackson would be to ship him off somewhere and pay most of his contract. It's reasonable to think that the pitcher who once threw a no-hitter could regain at least some form. If a team trading with the Cubs only had to pay $4-5 million of the contract each of the next two years, they could decide that's a bargain. 

Swap Bad Contracts

This situation is a little more complicated, but it's something the Cubs have discussed previously. According to Hardball Talk, the Cubs and Braves discussed a deal during the 2014 trade deadline that would've sent Jackson to Atlanta with B.J. Upton coming to Chicago. 

If there's a pitcher or hitter signed to a bad contract that the Cubs think they have a better chance of turning around than Jackson, this could make sense for them. It's also reasonable to think the Cubs and Braves could discuss the potential deal again, especially given the change in general managers in Atlanta.

LHP Travis Wood

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At one point in time, Wood was looked at as a key piece in the Cubs future. In 2013, he was the team's lone All-Star. Now, he may be out of Chicago sooner rather than later. He went 8-13 with a 5.03 ERA in 2014, which may worry Cubs brass that he's not worthy of being in the rotation in the future. 

Especially with potential free-agent pitchers making their way to Chicago, the Cubs may decide that it's pointless to have Wood in the rotation since he would essentially be the odd man out. That would be the case if the team does, in fact, add two quality arms to the rotation this offseason, which Epstein says is the team's ideal situation.

Based on his performance last season, young pitcher Kyle Hendricks more than earned a spot in the rotation next season. Add Jake Arrieta and two free agents to that mix and there's only one more available spot in the rotation. Sure, that could end up being Wood. It could also be Tsuyoshi Wada, Felix Doubront, Jacob Turner or some other dark-horse candidates. 

Since he's being paid more than those other players, the team could consider trading him. Since he's essentially at his lowest value right now, it would be wise to let him pitch a bit in 2015 and hope he does well. At that point, they could attempt trading him and see what they get in return.

LF Chris Coghlan

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Coghlan may have been the biggest surprise for the Cubs last season at the plate. He won the 2009 NL Rookie of the Year, so the team knew he had talent, but he hadn't shown that in recent years. A lot of that had to do with not getting consistent playing time. 

When he won the Rookie of the Year award in 2009, he played in 128 games and batted a stellar .321 while scoring 84 runs. Between 2010-2013, he averaged just 61 games a year while topping out at a .268 average. 

In 2014, he got more playing time and his numbers were back on the upswing. He played in 125 games and hit .283 while scoring 50 runs. That makes him a pretty valuable trade asset, as many teams are in search of top-of-the-order hitting. While he's not the cream of the crop in that department, he proved last year that he can still be a serviceable starter. 

The Cubs certainly would like to hold onto Coghlan both as a veteran presence in the locker room and a solid performer on the field, but if they get a generous offer for their 29-year old outfielder, they shouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger.

LF Billy McKinney

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Acquired in the trade that sent Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel to Oakland, McKinney is already in the Cubs' top 10 list of prospects, ranking No. 7 on MLB.com. However, the Cubs may already have too many players in the outfield by the time he's ready to contribute at the major league level. 

McKinney is just 20 years old and is likely still at least another year-and-a-half away from making it to the majors. Outfielders like Jorge Soler (who's already made his major league debut) and Albert Almora are going to beat him to Chicago. The Cubs find themselves with a pretty good problem to have: They have too many good prospects. 

Should the team decide to deal for top starting pitching, expect McKinney to possibly be part of a deal. There are other players (read on) the team could include in a trade, but McKinney is one of the most logical prospects to trade since he's still far from the pros and he's incredibly young.

1B Dan Vogelbach

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Even though McKinney makes sense as a potential trade chip, Vogelbach makes even more sense. McKinney is a slightly better prospect, but Vogelbach has a lot of barriers to making his debut in Chicago. Known as a hitter with a great plate approach for his age, Vogelbach would still be incredibly attractive to a team looking to trade for prospects. 

The reason Vogelbach likely won't ever play for the Cubs is that he plays first base, is left-handed and has a 6'0" and 250-pound frame. All of those things add up to him only being able to play first base in the pros. More likely, he could be a designated hitter at the major league level. 

Based on that, the Cubs could look to move him to an American League team along with other prospects if they decide to trade for an ace to add to their rotation. 

Interestingly enough, ESPN's Jayson Stark reported back in 2013 that adding a designated hitter to the National League is inevitable. If that happens sooner rather than later, there is no doubt the Cubs would find more use for Vogelbach. However, until then, the team could certainly look to move the slugger.