I hadn't really considered Charlie Blackmon as a possible Cubs trade target, as he's only been a regular center fielder for two seasons.
But then I looked again at his 2015 season, which was good offensively in quite a number of ways. He hit .287/.347/.450 (although WARNING COORS FIELD FACTOR: .331/.390/.500 at home, .238/.300/.395 away from Denver, though 10 HR on the road, seven at home) and stole 43 bases, third in the National League. He posted 3.2 bWAR in 2015, though showed up with a negative defensive bWAR (-0.6). I can't say I'm an expert on defensive value ratings, so I'll leave it up to those of you who know more about that to weigh in. It's possible that Coors Field itself was a factor in Blackmon's poor defensive rating.
2016 is Blackmon's first arb-eligible year, so that could make him available if the Rockies want to save some money. I'd say that as a first-time arb-eligible who made barely over the minimum in 2015, he'd probably be in line for a salary of $2 million to $3 million, which would certainly save the Cubs money they could use elsewhere.
He likely wouldn't cost too much in trade, but he also turns 30 next July 1 (which by the way baseball-age seasons are tracked, makes 2016 his age-29 season). He might be only a stopgap, and the Cubs could be looking for at least a medium-term solution in center field.
The Cubs are losing one of baseball's better beards with the likely departure of Jason Motte. Blackmon would keep up that bearded tradition. Perhaps he could learn to lead the clapping for Starlin Castro's walkup music -- when he's not on base.
Would you trade for Blackmon? If so, who would you give up?