Chicago Cubs: 5 logical trades involving Craig KimbrelRyan Heckmanon July 11, 2021 at 2:00 pm

About a month and a half ago, the Cubs were looking mighty fine and sitting atop the NL Central. Somehow, some way, these Cubs were winning games. It might not have been pretty, but Chicago looked like they could actually end up a playoff team in 2021.

Now two games below .500 and reeling, the Cubs will be sellers at this year’s MLB trade deadline. In fact, it could end up being a total fire sale. After a few years of the Ricketts being unwilling to spend big and allowing important pieces to leave town, the inevitable is going to happen.

The Cubs’ core is going to be broken up. Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez might all be up for grabs at the deadline. But, the Cubs’ most attractive trade piece is within that bullpen.

Chicago Cubs reliever Craig Kimbrel will be highly sought-after before the trade deadline.

Kimbrel is posting a ridiculous 0.57 ERA this season — his lowest since 2010. He has struck out 54, walked only 10 and given up just 11 hits in over 31 innings this year.

After a couple of seasons where he often made fans pull their hair out, Kimbrel is now looking like the All Star pitcher he once was. Appropriately enough, he was named to his eighth All Star Game in 2021.

Now, he will definitely be dealt in the coming days. He could end up being a team’s missing piece for a serious run at the World Series. But, which team will he land with?

There are five teams, in particular, which make sense for Kimbrel. The following few trade packages may seem aggressive, but Kimbrel’s services will be in high demand.