The 2024 MLB trade deadline is nearly upon us, and there should be a few blockbuster moves here and there as teams look to better position themselves in the hunt for a World Series title. But for the Chicago Cubs, those championship hopes appear to be dwindling by the day. They are currently last in the NL Central with a 49-55 record; thus, one MLB insider believes that the Cubs could pull off a trade to sell off one of their most productive pitchers to the New York Yankees, a team that's currently duking it out for American League supremacy.
In particular, ESPN polled a panel of eight MLB front-office executives and scouts and gauged their opinion as to what a few teams, such as the Cubs, must do leading up to the trade deadline. While the panel suggested that the Cubs stand pat, one member of that group implored them to look into trading for a young power bat from the Yankees if they were to make any trades.
“Center a package around Jameson Taillon and/or reliever Mark Leiter Jr. to the Yankees for Jasson Dominguez or Spencer Jones,” the anonymous MLB exec/scout told ESPN's Jesse Rogers.
While it is certainly a dream for the Cubs to acquire a cost-controlled power bat to bolster the team in that regard (they are currently ranked 23rd in the MLB in total home runs this season), it's far-fetched that the Yankees will give up prospects of such pedigree in a trade for either Taillon or Leiter.
If anything, the Yankees will want to keep Dominguez and Jones so they can devote their financial resources towards other parts of the roster for at least the first six seasons of their careers. Trading either of those two for anything short of a franchise-altering talent, which is what they did this past offseason when they acquired Juan Soto, will cause a riot among the Yankees' spirited fanbase.
Jameson Taillon could help the Yankees, but not at the suggested cost
Any contending team would want to have Jameson Taillon on the roster. He still has two years left on his contract following the 2024 season, and at $18 million per year, he is certainly worth adding as a relatively inexpensive pitching option. On the season, Taillon has tallied a 2.96 ERA in 100.1 innings of work (17 starts), serving as a very solid starter for the Cubs.
The Yankees have gotten found money contributions from Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt, while Nestor Cortes has been solid throughout the year, but Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole haven't exactly been pitching up to par as of late. Bringing Taillon in would give them additional stability.
However, giving up Jasson Dominguez or Spencer Jones for Taillon is rather foolish. Both Dominguez and Jones have immense power potential, with the former continuing to rake at every level, and trading them away for a starter with limited upside at 32 years old will be rather foolish. It's not like the Yankees are starving for some quality starting pitching anyway. The Cubs are better off looking elsewhere for a cost-controlled power bat.
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