If Chicago is wary of letting go a member of their rotation, Philadelphia has several young, controllable starters they can swing back to Chicago.
Vince Velasquez, Zach Eflin, and Nick Pivetta are all valuable trade chips this offseason. Rumors suggest the organization has been unwilling to move Eflin, even for a superstar bat. Regardless, there are several young pitchers for the Cubs to pick if they want insurance for their rotation.
In terms of prospects in a potential trade, the Cubs likely won’t get back the same value they coughed up for Quintana back in 2017. Philadelphia has the ability to offer competitive deals in a stagnant market with three of the top-70 prospects in baseball.
Pitcher Adonis Medina’s name has come up constantly in trade talks dating back to the deadline discussions for Manny Machado. Ranger Suarez and Enyel De Los Santos opened some eyes in the rotation last year, and Cole Irvin is knocking on the doorstep.
Eighteen of the Phillies’ top-30 prospects are pitchers, giving Chicago plenty of options.
There are plenty of bats to go around as well, including two of Philadelphia’s more recent first-round picks: Adam Haseley and Mickey Moniak. Haseley feels like a player who could reach the big leagues quickly coming out of college, while Moniak, the number one overall pick in 2016, is still developing.
I don’t see Chicago wanting any of Philadelphia’s big league outfielders in a trade, and their bullpen is strong enough not to need a pricey option like Tommy Hunter.