Could A's target this Chicago Cubs player in trade?

Jason Burke | Oct 6, 2024

May 14, 2024; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Chicago Cubs second baseman Nick Madrigal (1) singles against the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The A's are headed to Sacramento in 2025, and are expecting to spend more money in free agency this winter. GM David Forst admitted that convincing players to come to play at a minor league ballpark could be a little tricky during the end-of-year Zoom call on Friday.

That is one reason why they could be more active in the trade market.

The Chicago Cubs could be an interesting pairing for the A's to make a deal with this offseason, because the Athletics are looking for a few things to improve their roster. The first is to improve the team defense. According to DRS (defensive runs saved), the A's were the second-worst fielding team in the big leagues, ahead of just the lowly Chicago White Sox.

The A's will also be looking for a third baseman. While they have a few in-house options, the club is also expecting to look outside of the organization for potential solutions at the hot corner. The club also has had a habit of grabbing guys that make a good amount of contact at the plate in recent years, including their last two top draft picks, Jacob Wilson and Nick Kurtz.

One player that checks all of those boxes is Nick Madrigal of the Cubs, who was seemingly replaced on the roster after he was demoted in May and missed the rest of the season after getting hit on the left hand with a 97 mile per hour fastball. Chicago went out and traded for Issac Paredes at the deadline, and he figures to slot in as the third baseman for the Cubbies moving forward, leaving no immediate openings for Madrigal.

With the Cubs last year he got 94 plate appearances, hit .221 with a .280 OBP and a 57 wRC+. Obviously not the offensive output the A's would be hoping for, but putting him in a smaller ballpark could help boost some of those stats. He's not a big home run hitter or a power guy at all, but he has some interesting tools at the plate that manager Mark Kotsay could be intrigued by.

The two main reasons he could be attractive to the A's are the defense he displayed in 2023, putting up 8 DRS at third base in 560 innings, and the fact that he's from the Sacramento/Elk Grove area. Having a hometown guy ready to play for the green and gold could be a savvy move for the team, especially if he can put things together on offense.

Madrigal's strikeout rate has typically hovered right around 10% the past three seasons. Wilson, who made his big-league debut in 2024 after being drafted in '23, finished with a 9.7% strikeout rate. The two of them together on the left side of the infield could be a dynamic pair.

Another reason that the A's may want to bring him aboard is that Madrigal isn't projected to break the bank in arbitration, either. MLB Trade Rumors has him at $1.9 million for the 2025 season. That salary would give the A's a potential rebound candidate on the roster, while also leaving them plenty of money to theoretically spend.

In terms of what it would take to acquire Madrigal, it likely wouldn't be a ton. The two clubs could swap guys that no longer fit on their own rosters, potentially Madrigal for Seth Brown, Ryan Noda, or Kyle Muller, while both teams would come away with a slight increase for their own club.