The Chicago Cubs continued to bolster their big league roster with proven veteran talent on Monday, acquiring outfielder Dexter Fowler from the Houston Astros in exchange for pitcher Dan Straily and third baseman Luis Valbuena.
The trade, which was first reported by Bruce Levine of 670 the Score and confirmed by Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, gives the Cubs a bat they can put at the top of the order. Fowler has some speed, with 11 stolen bases on 15 attempts last season, and his on-base percentage of .375 was the second-highest total in that category in his career.
The move also frees up the Cubs to use Arismendy Alcantara as more of a jack-of-all-trades player rather than as an everyday center fielder. New manager Joe Maddon used Ben Zobrist in a similar role with the Tampa Bay Rays, and the strategy paid off in a big way as the utility man became an integral part of a team that made numerous playoff appearances and came within two wins of a World Series title in 2008.
The Cubs did have to give up a couple of major league players to complete the deal, but it did leave their massive reserves of talented prospects intact. Straily, who came over from the Oakland Athletics in the 2014 trade that sent Jeff Samardzija to the west coast, made only seven appearances for the Cubs during his brief tenure on the North Side, with an 11.85 ERA and a 2.122 WHIP during those games.
As for Valbuena, his departure was inevitable with Kris Bryant drawing ever closer to becoming an everyday player for the Cubs. In 2014 Valbuena swatted 16 home runs and drove in 51 RBI, both of which were career highs. He also batted .249 and put up an OBP of .341, giving the Cubs some pop in their order before guys like Jorge Soler and Javier Baez came up later in the season.
The Cubs have also bought themselves some flexibility with this deal, as Fowler will make between $8-10 million this season and then become a free agent in November. The team could opt to keep him around as a long-term option at the top of the lineup, or they could attempt to move one of their many prospects back into the center field spot.
Either way, the Cubs are buying themselves flexibility and the ability to be patient with prospects with this trade, and it addresses a big need for a team that has to have guys able to get on-base in front of the power hitters in the heart of their order.
