AAA 3B Christian Villaneuva (picked up in the Dempster deal to the Rangers) is out of options.
He projects to be about a .260 hitter, moderate power, good defense at third. But he only plays third
so he does not fit into Maddon's "flexibility" roster.
The Cubs need to trade/package Villanueva to a team that needs a third baseman
(there are a lot of teams with that need, including the Reds and Indians) but who can
afford to give up a quality starting center fielder (which is in short supply).
If you find a taker, you would need to package a higher ML salary (Hammel or Montero or Soler)
to get payroll relief since the Cubs are already over the projected 2016 budget.
Villaneuva will not the be center piece of any trade, but he would be the added asset to get a deal done. He is a major league ready player who would be making the major league minimum.
