Just four short days ago, the Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics got together on a blockbuster trade sending Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel to Oakland. In exchange, the Cubs received some serious young talent led by 20-year-old shortstop Addison Russell.

This trade was a simple case of two teams being on completely different schedules. The A’s are ready to compete for a World Series now, while the Cubs continue to rebuild. Could Billy Beane and Theo Epstein come together on another trade that would make sense for both sides?

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the two teams discussed Cubs’ infielder Luis Valbuena as part of the recent trade, and “The Athletics may purse Valbuena again before the July 31 non-waiver deadline.”

Aside from Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo, Valbuena has been the most consistent offensive player for the Cubs this season. He is currently hitting .256/.339/.420 on the year with a fairly impressive 110 wRC+. Valbuena will never be mistake for a superstar, as he does not have any tools that really jump off of the page. That said, he has great plate discipline, makes consistent contact and has a smooth swing that produces line drives.

While he has mostly played 3B for the Cubs this season, Valbuena also plays solid defense at 2B, which would be part of his appeal to the A’s. Oakland is currently playing a mix of Alberto Callaspo, Nick Punto and Eric Sogard at 2B, and they are not getting much production out of the position.

Valbuena is going to make just $1.71 million this year, and is under team control through 2016. This is obviously huge for the cash-strapped Athletics, but is also a reason why the Cubs would like to hold onto him.

The Cubs are certainly a team in transition, but Valbuena could be a great veteran presence who could easily move to the bench when Russell, Javier Baez, Kris Bryant and the rest of the Cubs’ impressive stock of minor leaguers arrive.

Valbuena feels like an under-the-radar add that Beane has become famous for. His approach at the plate would fit in wonderfully with Oakland, playing time opportunities would likely be plentiful and his modest salary is a huge plus.

There is obviously some interest here, and other teams have been rumored to have asked about Valbuena as well. That said, the Cubs have no reason to just give him away, as he is a valuable player to them too.

Valbuena could certainly be had in a deal, but Epstein and company are not going to give him away for nothing. Expect his name to come up multiple times in trade rumors before the July 31st deadline. 

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About the author
Dan Schmelzer
Dan is a 25-year-old writer who specializes in Chicago Cubs content. Dan also writes about the Iowa Hawkeyes, Fantasy Football, and covers the NFL.