Mariners Trade 1: Getting that veteran starter
Adding in the money, at least according to the trade values, would make this an even trade. Not only would the Mariners get their starter in Hendricks, but they would get a good reliever as well.
Ryan Tepera has been a wonderful reliever this year for the Cubs. As an upcoming free agent, it would be in their best interests to get something for him. At 33, there isn’t much of a chance that the Cubs are going to re-sign him for the 2022 season. He’s more likely to go to someone that, on paper at least, looks more like a contender. The Cubs see about set to enter a rebuilding mode, so we could help them out a bit with a young pitcher.
Matt Brash is 23, and has been striking people out like crazy this year. Through a combined 47.1 innings in High A and AA, he has 69 K’s, for a 13.1 K/9 rate. If the Cubs were looking for a future starter to replace Hendricks, Brash would be a good, low-cost choice.
To make it even, the Cubs would have to pay $4 million of Hendricks’s salary. That’s not a ton, less than 10% of his remaining on his deal.