Heyman on Cubs' trade bait

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With Bob Nightengale's column at USAToday coming out this morning discussing how the Cubs are reportedly open for business on everybody, potential deals for Theo Epstein and Co. has been a hot topic of debate.

David Kaplan weighed in and actually would be on board with dealing Starlin Castro if the package coming to Chicago was right.

Expanding on that all a bit, CBSSports' Jon Heyman has a list of 45 MLB players that could be on the move at the trade deadline, including seven Cubs.

Matt Garza and Ryan Dempster come in at Nos. 2 and 3 on the list, behind only Zack Greinke of the Brewers. Alfonso Soriano is at No. 15.

All three of those names are fairly obvious. There has been a lot of talk surrounding Dempster, and if the Cubs could figure out what to do with the remainder of Soriano's contract, he may be dealt, too. Given Garza's value, some teams may be desperate, but the Cubs are also reportedly working on inking the righty to an extension.

Beyond that, some interesting names make the list -- Paul Maholm, David DeJesus, Reed Johnson and Carlos Marmol.

Marmol would figure to be gone if he could raise his value and Heyman brings up valid points on Maholm and DeJesus, two veterans that have performed well and could be minor moves that help a contender. Johnson isn't a starter at this point in his career, but he's a valuable bench player and one of the top fourth outfielders in the game.

One name that is not on this list is Geovany Soto, which is a little surprising. Given that the Cubs already have Welington Castillo and Steve Clevenger, Soto doesn't have as high of value with the Cubs as he would have with another team -- such as the Rays or Nationals -- that is searching for some veteran help behind the dish.

This is just one national writer's take on what could happen in the next two months, before the MLB trading deadline. For all we know, none of these guys could be dealt, or all seven and then some could find their way out of Chicago. It's impossible to predict, but Heyman's right, these guys do have some value.

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