UPDATE: ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports the Cubs would rather center a deal around Javier Baez or Starlin Castro than Jorge Soler. Additionally, the Braves seemingly have their corner outfield spots set with Hector Olivera and Nick Markakis.
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The Atlanta Braves continue to purge their MLB roster with countless trades over the past year and it doesn't appear as if they're done. The latest trade rumors involve starting pitcher Shelby Miller, who could be of interest to the Chicago Cubs.
Chicago previously asked the Braves about starter Julio Teheran, but talks haven't seemed to progress. Miller is reportedly garnering a ton of interest on the trade market and the Cubs have inquired about him as well.
Coincidentally, the Braves are said to be "smitten" with Cubs outfielder Jorge Soler, according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. At this point in the offseason Crasnick also noted the Cubs and the Red Sox are two MLB teams that match up with Atlanta in terms of a trade for Miller.
Yesterday we elaborated upon a report from ESPNChicago.com's Jesse Rogers, who talked about how the Cubs are seemingly ditching the idea of signing a high-profile starter (such as David Price, who reportedly signed with the Red Sox for $217 million), and instead would rather address their need in the rotation with a second-tier arm (Jeff Samardzija) or acquire cost-controlled pitchers in a trade.
Previous rumors also indicated the Cubs were shopping Soler and Javier Baez in an attempt to acquire starting pitching. Would a Soler-for-Miller trade make sense for both sides?
It seems like it may, but the Braves wouldn't be getting proper value in return for Miller, who had a career season in 2015 after posting a 3.03 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 33 starts behind the league's worst offense. He logged career-bests in ERA, starts, complete games, shutouts, innings pitched, strikeouts and home runs per nine innings. The 25-year-old is under club control through 2018.
As for Soler, the 23-year-old is under a nine-year, $30 million deal that expires after the 2020 season. While it's a team-friendly contract, the outfielder has not lived up to expectations thus far into his MLB career due to injuries and both offensive and defensive struggles. However, he has only played in 125 career games and his upside is something the Braves probably wouldn't mind investing in.
Still, Miller has proven he's capable of being a consistent performer at the MLB level thanks to his career 3.22 ERA in 102 games. Established starting pitching is also much more valuable than young power hitting outfielders, so the Cubs may need to give up more to acquire Miller.
Another problem with this hypothetical trade is that moving Soler would create another vacancy in the outfield for the Cubs. They're already without a center fielder and left field is still a big question mark due to Kyle Schwarber's defensive woes. If they trade Soler, such a move would create uncertainty for the entire outfield, assuming they don't get an outfielder in return or opt to sign one of the big names in free agency (Yoenis Cesepdes, Justin Upton, Jason Heyward, Alex Gordon).
I think a Soler-for-Miller deal is a huge win for the Cubs, so it'll probably take another prospect to complete the deal. Or, perhaps the Cubs take on one of the Braves' big contracts in outfielders Nick Swisher, Michael Bourn or Nick Markakis - all of whom can fill a void in Chicago's outfield.
With the Winter Meetings approaching, the Cubs foresee a lot of action on the trade market, so keep your eyes peeled for a deal involving Miller as the team hopes to improve their rotation.
"Over the next two weeks, there will be a lot of activity," Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said on ESPN 1000 in Chicago on Monday. "I expect as the market picks up, we'll be part of that market."
"Both those markets are still developing. I think moves (in baseball) will start to happen this week and next week.
"Being prepared for Nashville is the most important thing. I'm sure it's going to be a fascinating week."
