Why the Chicago Cubs Should Trade for Chris Davis

I know with the signing of Carlos Pena the Cubs filled their vacancy at 1B, but after another disappointing season in 2010 they still have a number of holes which need to be filled. By adding Chris Davis the Cubs could address several of these needs in one trade.

Davis was a 5^th round draft pick of the Texas Rangers in 2006. He quickly became a highly touted prospect. Baseball America even included him on their list of 100 top prospects after he smashed 36 home runs while batting .297 after his first season in the Minors. Unfortunately this has not translated to Major League success as of yet as Davis has struck out 278 times in 806 at bats.

So, why would the Cubs be interested in trying to deal for Chris Davis? For starters he is only 24 years old, and though he has played part of the last three seasons at the Big League level he is still relatively inexperienced. Davis still has a couple of years before he is considered to be in his prime which gives him plenty of time to figure out how to realize his full potential in the Majors.

The Cubs have been looking for a left handed hitting run producer to solidify their line up. The signing of Pena seemingly fills this need, but he only signed for one year. If the Cubs could bring over Chris Davis and let him back up Pena for a year allowing him time to learn the National League, Davis could become a younger and cheaper option at 1B for the future. Davis could turn into a middle of the order hitter and a mainstay at 1B in Chicago for the next ten years.

At this early stage of his Major League career Chris Davis can also offer the Cubs some versatility. He has a powerful left handed bat which could be extremely valuable coming off the bench especially in late inning situations. Davis, in addition to 1B, can also play a strong 3B and to some extent the outfield. This means he would be able to spot start as needed at any of these positions not to mention provide the Cubs insurance at 3B as Aramis Ramirez has had trouble staying healthy. Chris Davis would be a much more attractive option at 3B than Jeff Baker who is slotted to fill the back-up role for the time being.

Rumors of this trade have been percolating for several months. The Cubs would probably have to give up one of their top catching prospects which is not too bad considering Geovany Soto is going to be the Cubs backstop and they have two other catching prospects. They would also have to sweeten the deal a bit by offering one of their Major League starting pitchers like, Tom Gorzelanny or an upper tier pitching prospect. Along with Chris Davis the Cubs have also been asking Texas for one of their relief pitchers.

A change of scenery may be exactly what Chris Davis needs to tap into the potential he has shown at the Minor League level. In Chicago he would also be reunited with hitting coach, Rudy Jaramillo who could help Davis cut down on the strike outs and improve Davis' stats against left handed pitching.

This is a trade the Chicago Cubs need to make. With Chris Davis they get younger, improve their bench, have a solid back-up at 1B and 3B, and could potentially gain a budding All Star ready to hit his prime.

" The Curious Case Of Christopher Davis ", www.bbtia.com

" Chris Davis ", www.baseball-reference.com