The Chicago Cubs have a couple of roster conundrums they're going to have to sort out before opening day. Perhaps the biggest conundrum of them all, is what they are going to do with Matt Sczur.
The team would love to be able to keep the versatile outfielder who can play both corner spots as well as center field, but there are already a glut of outfielders on the team. That means the Cubs might end up having to trade him, because he's out of options. One potential trading partner appears to be the Atlanta Braves, who are looking for a player like Sczur.
The Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves are old trade friends
If a deal is worked out between the two teams, it will hardly be the first. The Cubs and the Braves have swung many a trade in the last couple of years. The most recent of those deals brought utility man Tommy LaStella to the Windy City. Some might consider that a strike against swinging a trade deal this time around, but at least we know the two front offices are able to work together.
There was also a deal worked out, or was worked out and then rejected, between the two teams involving Ryan Dempster and a hot Braves pitching prospect. In the end, Dempster was traded to another team and everything worked out, but Theo Epstein has no qualms about getting Atlanta on the phone when he's looking to move a player.
Rumored Chicago Cubs deal could be just a rumor
One of the things that makes baseball such an interesting sport to follow is it has one of the most active rumor mills of any professional sport. That means anytime you see a report the Chicago Cubs are looking to make a deal, it has to be taken with a grain of salt.
Sources: #Cubs’ Matt Szczur among trade candidates #Braves considering for extra OFer. Szczur out of options; Cubs expected to keep him.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 21, 2017
At the same time, Ken Rosenthal is the reporter who first starting hearing noise about the Cubs sending Sczur to the Braves.
Rosenthal is one of the more trusted names in the sport when it comes to reporting on rumors just like this. The deal makes sense for both sides. Now we'll just have to wait and watch and see whether the Cubs and Braves can find a trade that makes sense for both teams.
