I've been seeing the apparently we are in the running to trade for Jeff Samardzjia. For what it's worth, I think this would be a terrible move that would completely wipe out the farm system. Also, Ken Rosenthal seems to think that Ian Kennedy or Dillon Gee would be good fits. This is probably more realistic, but I still think we can maximize our value and give up the least amount by trading for Jason Hammel. For one, Hammel has had a better season than Kennedy and Gee, and has also had success pitching in the AL with Baltimore. I think a trade that could work would be to trade JB Shuck and Ernesto Frieri for Hammel. WIth the Cubs needing outfield depth and Frieri's upside, I think this is a definite possibility. And to be honest, we wouldn't be giving much up at all in the long run.
The second piece that I think is missing seems to be a left-handed bullpen option. Look how Oakland can be with guys like Sean Doolittle and Fernando Abad. We were banking on Brian Moran and Sean Burnett to fill that void, but obviously that can't happen. This problem just won't go away. Two potential guys that I think would add great value would be Tony Watson of the Pirates and Jake McGee of the Rays. I think Watson would be a good fit, with us potentially giving up Kaleb Cowart for. With Cowart not being able to hit for the past season and a half, we might as well utilize his value now.
I truly think Hammel and Watson could be the game changers that we need and cause us to not give up much. Yes, Cowart is a top 5 prospect for us, but the lack of hitting has to have a lot of people worried about him going forward.
Thoughts?