San Francisco Giants: Building a trade with the Chicago Cubs

The San Francisco Giants rebuild is already underway. It has been subtle thus far, but soon major pieces will be leaving the bay. As the trade deadline approaches, Marc Delucchi will look at how each contender fits as a potential trade partner. Next up, the Chicago Cubs.

We are now less than two months away from the July 31st trade deadline and the trade market is starting to take shape. At 10 games under .500 and 16 games back in the NL West standings, the San Francisco Giants are already clearly in the “seller” category.

New rules introduced this season have eliminated August waiver trades for big league players, and that could get things moving quicker than we’ve seen in years past. Contenders won’t want to miss the chance to add a difference-making piece and sellers won’t want to miss the chance to sell high on their best assets.

One team in a position to buy will be the Chicago Cubs.

Going for their fifth consecutive playoff appearance, they currently sit at the top of the National League’s wild-card standings. They won’t be satisfied with that. After losing to the Colorado Rockies in last season’s wild-card game, the Cubs will be gunning for the division title.

So let’s take a closer look at how the Cubs and Giants line up as trade partners, starting with an overview of the Cubs needs and potential trade chips.