Chicago Cubs Rumors: Talks with Tigers have stalled for Justin Wilson
The Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers had been in trade talks for Justin Wilson. But it appears the two sides couldn’t agree on a match and have broken off the conversation.
The Chicago Cubs had their eye on Detroit Tigers’ Justin Wilson, but it appears those talks are dead in the water. The Cubs have put the bullpen front and center this offseason. Adding Wilson looked to be a power play to create a “lockdown” pen. But the teams were unable to link up on a player. Now the two teams appear to have moved on according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
The #Cubs trade talks for #Tigers Justin Wilson have stalled, the clubs say, unable to find match, and both sides appear to have moved on
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 15, 2016
After Jon Morosi reported the two teams had discussed the hard-throwing left-hander, it was unclear if there was any momentum following those initial talks. With the reports the two have moved on, it appears there wasn’t any at all.
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Several other teams have shown interest in Wilson. The Houston Astros and New York Yankees have also been in the mix That could explain why the Cubs are out. Initially, I had talked about how many Tigers’ fans on Twitter were looking for a big return for Wilson. Names like Ian Happ and Javier Baez were thrown out, generally followed by “or no deal”. The Cubs may have been interested, but not at that cost.
There’s no telling which side was being unreasonable. But based on the fans and the Tigers current situation, it’s likely they were asking for more than the Cubs were willing to give. Even without another addition to the pen, the Cubs have essentially rebuilt the pen with the exception of a few arms. After signing as many relievers as they could find, things have changed. The Cubs added some solid relievers but didn’t break the bank to do it, comparatively speaking.
There is still the occasional rumor of a trade for Chris Archer of the Rays. Or a possible signing of free agent Tyson Ross. But as we move closer to the first of the year, I see that being less of a possibility. I won’t ever count it out completely after watching Dexter Fowler stroll into camp last spring. But it seems to be more unlikely with each passing day.
