Chicago Cubs-Tampa Bay Rays trade idea brings AL East bat to fill needed roster holes

The Chicago Cubs still have some work to do before heading into the 2025 season.

The team has yet to add the high-end starting pitcher they had targeted earlier in the offseason. They could also use a true shutdown closer, something that eluded them when free agent Tanner Scott chose to sign on with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Infield depth also remains a concern with rookie Matt Shaw penciled in at third base and no warm body to back Michael Busch at first base.

Well, the first two problems may be hard to solve. The third, however, may be just one phone call away.

Bringing In A First Baseman/Third Baseman

Matthew Trueblood of North Side Baseball has proposed looking into the addition of Yandy Diaz from the Tampa Bay Rays.

The 33-year-old Diaz played first base and DH exclusively last season, but he can also play some third base, with 290 games played at the hot corner over the course of his eight-year major league career.

Although no longer considered defensively viable at either first or third, his bat could make him a quality fill-in or emergency replacement. He IS just one full season removed from leading the American League in hitting with a .330 batting average and has enough pop to be at least a marginal home run threat.

What Yandy Diaz Brings

Per Trueblood:

“…Díaz has played a good amount of third base in the majors over the years. He’s no longer playable there on more than an emergency basis, but he is a lefty-killing right-handed hitter, making him a good platoon partner for Busch and a fine complement to the DH rotation. Days on which the Cubs face tough left-handed starters could find any of Busch, Ian Happ or even Kyle Tucker getting a day off, with Seiya Suzuki going to the outfield if needed and Díaz at either first base or DH. He’d also be a strong hedge against a sophomore slump by Busch, although the Cubs surely hope that Busch’s strong rookie campaign was the beginning of something consistently good.

…The Rays very much have a type, and it’s one the Cubs could use. These guys generate hard contact (if not always hard contact in the air), putting pressure on the defense and posing a constant threat. Díaz is due $10 million in 2025 and would get another $1 million (paid by the Cubs) if he’s dealt; he also has a $12-million option for 2026. It’s a high price for the role Díaz would fill, but he’d fill it singularly well.”

A Proposed Chicago Cubs-Tampa Bay Rays Trade

Diaz’s name has been brought up as a trade target by media before, with Drew VonScio of Newsweek envisioning a scenario where the Cubs send over shortstop prospect Jefferson Rojas (The team’s no. 7 prospect) and outfielder Brett Bateman (The team’s No. 16 prospect) in exchange for the veteran role player.

As things sit right now, though, it looks as though the rookie 23-year-old Shaw, who is the organization’s top prospect, will get first dibs on the starting third base job.

The void behind Busch, however, has still not been addressed. The team could very well opt to keep things “as is” and keep an assortment of utility infielders around to fill the gap if/when the sophomore Busch falters, gets injured, or falls out of favor.