The Cubs made a puzzling move today and traded RHP Arodys Vizcaino to the Braves for second baseman Tommy La Stella.
The Cubs also got Atlanta’s No. 4 international signing bonus slot and sent their Nos. 2, 3 and 4 international signing bonus slots to the Braves.
La Stella, 25, is strictly a second baseman and made his big-league debut this year with the Braves and batted .251/.328/.317 with 16 doubles, one homer and 31 RBI in 93 games. The 2011 eighth-rounder has a career batting line of .322/.407/.471 in four minor league seasons.
Vizcaino, 24, goes back to the Braves who traded him to the Cubs for LHP Paul Maholm and outfielder Reed Johnson during the 2012 trade deadline. He appeared in 5 games for the Cubs this past season, going 0-0 with a 5.40 ERA after missing 18 months due to Tommy John surgery.
The Cubs were already boasting a cadre of young infielders in Javier Baez (22), Starlin Castro (25), Addison Russell (21), Kris Bryant (23), and Arismendy Alcantara (24), so this begs the question: Is it possible that this is a prelude to a bigger trade that involves moving one of their prized prospects? Perhaps Starlin Castro?
The Chicago Tribune recently wrote that the Cubs could clear more financial space to acquire an impact starting pitcher by trading Castro, who has five years and $43 million left on his contract.
Conversely, with just Ramiro Pena and Philip Gosselin as the only second basemen on the Braves’ 40-man roster, could they be a potential landing spot for Daniel Murphy?
It does open up a lot of different possibilities for both those teams, and makes me wonder if this is just some posturing for something bigger and more significant still to come.
