Cubs bring back Chris Coghlan for outfield depth via trade with A's
The Cubs traded him this past offseason when they brought Dexter Fowler back
By
Matt Snyder
•
1 min read
The Chicago Cubs have traded minor-leaguer Arismendy Alcantara to the Oakland Athletics for utility man Chris Coghlan. Though this is a minor move, it's an interesting one.
Coghlan opened spring training as a returning member of the heavily-hyped Cubs. Remember that day that Dexter Fowler showed up, unexpectedly having signed back with the Cubs? Yeah, Coghlan was traded to the A's for reliever Aaron Brooks.
It wasn't really a huge slap in the face to Coghlan by the Cubs. It was just that there wasn't really room for him now that they had Fowler back in center and could slide Jason Heyward to right field, where he belongs.
Things have changed for the North Siders, though. Opening day left fielder Kyle Schwarber has torn up his knee and is out for the season. His most suitable replacement, Jorge Soler, now has a hamstring injury. The Cubs definitely have the depth to absorb the injuries, but Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer believe in having almost too much depth. Enter Coghlan.
The 30-year-old outfielder by trade started to play second base on a quasi-regular basis for the first time in 2015 and that's carried over into 2016, as well as him seeing time at third. The Cubs are pretty well covered in the infield, though, so it would appear he's outfield depth (meaning they can leave Kris Bryant at third base more often).
Coghlan was only hitting .146/.215/.272 in 172 plate appearances for the A's this season. Last year for the Cubs, though, he hit .250/.341/.443 with 25 doubles, six triples, 16 homers and 11 stolen bases.
As for the A's return, Alcantara has a lot of talent. He's only hit .194 with 11 doubles, 10 homers and nine steals in 81 career MLB games, but he's flashed great upside in the minors at times, even working his way into top-100 prospect lists prior to 2014.
This season for Triple-A Iowa, Alcantara hit .264./315/.437 with nine doubles, five triples, five homers and 21 steals in 21 attempts. He's still only 24 years old, so there could be some untapped potential there.
As such, it seems like this is a move that could benefit both teams, viewed through the lens of the Cubs wanting to win now and the A's likely more focused on future upside.
