Writer Pitches Intriguing Chicago Cubs Trade Idea with Kansas City Royals

An MLB writer has pitched an intriguing trade idea between the Chicago Cubs and Kansas City Royals ahead of the deadline.

Jul 12, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Hector Neris (51) reacts after the Cubs defeated the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Cubs have made their stance ahead of the 2024 MLB trade deadline clear. They are not going to be having a firesale.

Despite being under the .500 mark, the Cubs made a move to acquire one of the better hitters available this summer. Isaac Parades was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Christopher Morel and two prospects; right-handed pitcher Hunter Bigge and right-handed pitcher Ty Johnson.

At 51-56, Chicago isn’t all the way out of the playoff race in the National League. They are only five games behind the New York Mets for the final wild card spot, one hot streak away from being right back in the mix.

Despite there being a path to the postseason, the Cubs sound like a team that will sell some pieces off if the price is right. Starting pitcher Jameson Taillon has been involved in a ton of rumors.

Along with Taillon, several members of the bullpen have been mentioned as trade candidates. Julian Merryweather, Drew Smyly and Hector Neris could all be on the move based on the rumor mill.

Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report believes it would behoove Chicago to trade one of their veteran arms. He has pitched an intriguing idea of trading Neris to the Kansas City Royals.

“So President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer may opt for a relatively small sale that includes someone like Neris. Perhaps they'll get lucky on a lottery ticket in return, as the Royals did in getting back ace Cole Ragans for Aroldis Chapman last summer,” Kelly wrote.

Neris has made 40 appearances for the Cubs this season, pitching 37.2 innings with a 3.58 ERA and 39 strikeouts. He would provide the upstart and playoff-hopeful Royals with a veteran who has championship experience and a track record of performing late in games.

Kansas City already made a few moves to upgrade their pitching staff. They acquired reliever Hunter Harvey from the Washington Nationals and starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen from the Texas Rangers. Adding Neris to that haul would make for a solid deadline for the franchise.

Chicago toeing the line with faint playoff hopes is understandable; they aren’t going to trade their best assets such as Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner, Justin Steele or Shota Imanaga. But, it would be short-sighted to not cash in on some of their assets such as Neris.

A long-term lottery ticket would do more for the franchise than two more months of pitching from Neris, who signed a one-year deal with the club this past winter.