The Chicago Cubs are clearly in a rebuild state right now. The Cubs lost 96 games last season, and Starlin Castro appeared to regress last season. Despite that, the Cubs still were 12th overall in attendance at just under 3,000,000 fans. They need a name that will fill the seats again, and they CAN do this without some big time mega contract that could wreck their rebuild plans.
How?
Make a trade for Ichiro Suzuki with the New York Yankees.
In 2008, the Cubs had a Japanese Outfielder, a 30 year old MLB rookie named Kosuke Fukudome. He homered on Opening Day 2008 in a losing effort for the Cubs. He stayed with the Cubs until being traded to the Cleveland Indians in 2011. Fukudome was not as fast or as powerful as Ichiro was in his trendsetting MLB debut in 2001 with the Seattle Mariners.
The New York Yankees have two new outfielders in former Red Sox Outfielder Jacoby Ellsburry and Carlos Beltran. Curtis Granderson is now a New York Met. The Yankees could put Brett Gardner or Alfonso Soriano in the Outfield spot that is not filled.
A trade with the Cubs for Ichiro would also have to come with a new jersey number for him, as the number 31 is retired. However, the name would fill seats and give Ichiro a full time outfield job he has not had since his days with the Seattle Mariners.
The only drawback is the Cubs already have left handed Outfielders in Nate Schierholtz and Ryan Sweeney, and just traded lefty Brian Bogusevic for righty Justin Ruggiano.
The only question left is: Who would the Cubs trade for Ichiro?
How about Class A pitcher Corey Black, who the Cubs recieved from New York in the trade for Alfonso Soriano?
Get it done, Cubs Front Office.
