The Case For a Cub Blockbuster

It's now time for the Chicago Cubs to mix things up.

The Cubs need a left-handed bat, preferably in their outfield. They also need a center fielder. They have parted ways with clubhouse leader Kerry Wood this winter, and traded a top prospect, Jose Ceda, to the Florida Marlins for closer Kevin Gregg as his replacement. Ryan Dempster will be back in the rotation, but the fifth starter spot is still in question.

There is a team on the east coast that has a center fielder and needs a closer. They also have issues with a second baseman with a history of injuries. who has three years left on a contract they would like to unload.

Ready?

The Cubs should trade Gregg, starters Sean Marshall and Donnie Veal, and outfielders Kosuke Fukudome and Felix Pie to the New York Mets for centerfielder Carlos Beltran and second baseman Luis Castillo.

Why would the Mets do this deal?

The Mets are in the market for a closer, but appear skeptical of some of the bigger names on the market. Wood might get more years than the Mets would like to afford him from a team like the Texas Rangers. Brian Fuentes is older, and Francisco Rodriguez is asking for the sun, moon and stars.

A trade for Gregg would be economically sound with injured Bill Wagner still getting paid in 2009.

The players the Cubs would add to this deal would allow the Mets to become players on a number of other fronts. Adding Veal and Marshall might enable the Mets to put top prospects Bobby Parnell and Eddie Kunz into a deal for Jake Peavy. Fukudome would give them some flexibility in their outfield and Pie would give them a potential replacement in center.

Some of the other prospects the Cubs could offer in a deal of this magnitude wouldn't make much sense for the Mets. Josh Vitters is a third baseman, where the Mets have David Wright. Ryan Theriot and Ronny Cedeno are naturally shortstops, where Jose Reyes figures to be for the next decade.

But the Mets are openly coveting any and all pitching this winter, and the Cubs could provide some.

The final reason the Mets would make this deal is because they can't get Castillo off their books fast enough. If the Cubs made this deal, Castillo would give them a legitimate leadoff candidate who, you guessed it, hits left handed (well, from both sides actually).

He has been, when healthy, a good defensive second basemen as well. He has three years and $18 million left on his current contract, paper the Cubs could afford to assume considering the one-year left on Mark DeRosa's contract and the potential for him to play some in right field.

If the Mets made this deal, it would change their batting order some, but give them options to play with looking forward. If they made a deal happen for Peavy, they would be able to put him next to Johan Santana to have arguably the best 1-2 punch in a rotation since Schilling-Johnson in Arizona.

Fukudome would move into center field for the Mets between Ryan Church and Danny Murphy, with Angel Pagan and Pie off the bench.

With Castillo gone, the Mets would be able to look into free agents like Orlando Hudson at second for less money than Castillo.

The Mets have not lacked for offense the past couple years, but have needed pitching depth. Adding Marshall and Veal, or another arm like Angel Guzman, would give the Mets the arms to not only make a deal for Peavy, but also have the depth to win in September and October.

The Mets would also have approximately $20 million in saved money towards their bottom line by taking Castillo and Beltran off their books for a package of rookie contracts and Gregg.

If they wanted to spend some of that on Raul Ibanez, Bobby Abreu or Pat Burrell they could do that and replace the power numbers lost by taking Beltran out of the lineup as well.

Why would the Cubs make this deal?

Carlos Beltran.

Beltran, the All-Star center fielder for the Mets, is set to make $18.5 million each of the next three seasons.

Last year, he had a nice season (.287-27-112) with 25 stolen bases and a .376 on-base percentage. All of these numbers sound wonderful and would look incredible at Wrigley Field, a place rumors had Beltran headed in the winter of 2005 before he signed with the Mets.

Also remember this: like Castillo, Beltran is a switch hitter, providing the left-handed bat the Cubs so desperately covet.

While the cost could be considerable, with a key component in their bullpen in Gregg moving soon after being acquired, this deal could open the door for the Cubs to potentially bring back fan favorite Wood as well.

Though I doubt general manager Jim Hendry would want to back peddle on his statements about the bullpen and Wood moving on within a month of making them, adding a piece to the puzzle like Beltran could make any GM rethink his words.

Assuming the Cubs brought back Wood, this would give the Cubs a potentially dominant lineup. Castillo at second, Beltran in center, Derrek Lee at first, Aramis Ramirez at third, Alfonso Soriano in left, DeRosa in right, Geovany Soto catching, and Theriot at short is almost scary. 

With Wood back in the fold, the bullpen would be fairly similar to the 2008 version, with Jeff Samardzija assuming Bob Howry's role in the seventh and eighth innings, and Neal Cotts getting a full season in Scott Eyre's left handed specialist role.

This deal might be a wild idea, and it might be a dream. But it would help both teams considerably and could lead the two to a meeting in the National League Championship Series.