Cubs & Rays
Submitted by: CCMosley
Cubs
| Name | Age | Level | P1 | P2 | Availability | Years | AFV | Salary | Surplus | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taj Bradley | 23 | Majors | SP | LRP | 4.4 | 84.2 | 39.5 | 44.8 | 35.8 | 44.8 | 53.7 | |
| Curtis Mead | 23 | Majors | 1B | 2B | 4.4 | 10.1 | 5.4 | 4.7 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 5.7 |
Total Value:
49.5
Rays
| Name | Age | Level | P1 | P2 | Availability | Years | AFV | Salary | Surplus | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owen Caissie | 22 | Minors | OF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12.4 | 9.9 | 12.4 | 14.8 | ||
| Matt Shaw | 22 | Majors | 3B | SS | 5.4 | 40.4 | 8.7 | 31.8 | 25.4 | 31.8 | 38.1 | |
| Jaxon Wiggins | 22 | Minors | SP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.4 | 4.3 | 5.4 | 6.4 | ||
| Jonathon Long | 22 | Minors | 1B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 | 2 | 2.5 | 3 | ||
| Juan Tomas | 17 | Minors | SS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 2.3 |
Total Value:
54
Comments
8
Rays should pass on this trade. I wouldn’t value Shaw much more than Caissie at this point, and certainly not 2.5x. If the Rays trade Bradley to the Cubs, I’d want Horton in return.
NEWSLETTER? SURE, SIGN ME UP!
I think Shaw is something like 8 for his last 75 at bats, he’s really struggling.
To me I kinda see Shaw as Matt Duffy-ish with better power but I would move him to 2B full time but he's value is too high but Bradley's is kinda high too, a lot of times I don't really pay attention to the amounts I look at it this way this trade would bring back the 2026 starting LF, 2B, DH, a future rotation arm, and a stud SS prospect for a guy who may not ever find that next gear ro more than what he is now, also if we had Horton and they had Bradley would you trade Cade plus pieces to get Taj?
I’m Team Bradley and I think he’s a lot better than the casual fan does. For example, by xERA, Bradley is the Rays best pitcher and the #31 overall pitcher in baseball with a 3.53 xERA (among pitchers with at least 70 IP - of which there are 117 right now). I only want to trade him for a home run return. This isn’t a HR return. Easy to say no too.
I like Bradley a lot too but I see a guy with HOF stuff but doesn't seem like he'll ever be able to put the mental side together on enough of a continued basis to be much more than a #3, but I think it says something that out of Pepoit, Baz, and Bradley that TB "leaked" they were taking trade offers on him, also that's 2 current top 100 prospects, 1 former one, 1 future one, and a hitting machine in Long, with the future pitching they have coming I'd think about selling the other 2 guys also and just flood the farm in hopes of having just an absolute beast of a roster coming in around 2027, I know they seriously wouldn't but they could have 10-15 top 100 prospects if they had a fire sale
Bradley is arguably the Rays best pitcher this year (by xERA and fWAR he is), and he has the most trade value. Rays have several holes to fill. Rays have a number of top pitching prospects graduating to AAA soon and currently have a 6-8 man rotation (with McClanny and Seymour). I'm not surprised they let the league know Bradley might be available, but the price to acquire him better be high. If they give him away like they did Paredes last year, I'll absolutely lose it. I don't know why you like the Cubs prospects so much though. Caissie and Wiggins are ok, but Shaw looks like the Cubs version of Brujan. I can't stress enough how little interest I have in him as a headliner. Long and Tomas are filler (different kinds of filler, but filler). Long isn't beating out current Rays prospects/players. He's depth. Tomas is a lotto pick. Maybe he works out and maybe he never makes the upper minors.
Well like you said TB has a lot of holes to fill and the Cubs have top end talent that are ready, more than most teams, I'd say 20-25 of the top 30 for TB is struggling this year, they just haven't been able to develop positional players anymore, Cassie and Long are destroying AAA, they don't need developing, I think Cassie is definitely the headliner, Shaw has a huge undeserved value but I'm looking at the total package of players, maybe moving Shaw full time to 2B and out of Chicago takes the pressure off of him but even if his value is lower the Cubs aren't sending 8 players for a pitcher. Wiggins looks just like all the recent pitching they acquired, a big boy with tools, he's dominating AA already, he's 6'6" and needs help ironing out his delivery and control, that's a Hickey special, but mainly all these guys are ready now or in 2026, we wouldn't have to wait on the system to develop or screw them up by tinkering with them. But how many teams have the value to give up for Bradley? Example I was looking at MIL for Quero but then who else do they have to fill out the trade other then more lower level overhyped infielders? LA Dodgers have most their talent in the lower minors, plenty of time for them to stall out, SD only has 2 overhyped teenagers, DET isn't giving up Clark for Bradley, its a very limited market of teams that need pitching and have prospect quality and depth to get him, this trade extends out the window to be competitive instead of waiting and hoping that teenagers in Rookie Ball will pan out one day.
I bet this trade is looking a little more sexier right about now? Lol