UPDATE: It’s a done deal.
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It’s been a couple days since the Cubs and Reds reportedly agreed to a deal that would send Sean Marshall from Chicago to Cincinnati for Travis Wood and two unnamed prospects, and now Keith Law of ESPN.com says the trade will be announced at some point today.
Law also has the details, reporting that the Cubs will receive prospects Dave Sappelt and Ronald Torreyes in addition to Marshall, who’s expected to fill a setup role in Cincinnati despite the Reds’ current lack of a closer.
Marshall has emerged as one of the league’s elite relievers since moving to the bullpen full time in 2010, throwing 150 innings with a 2.45 ERA and 169/42 K/BB ratio. He’s the best player in the deal, but is also just one season away from free agency.
Wood’s upside isn’t as high, but he projects as a solid mid-rotation starter and at age 24 is under team control through 2016. Neither Torreyes nor Sappelt were among the Reds’ top 10 prospects according to Baseball America, so the swap is definitely built around Marshall for Wood, but Sappelt is an MLB-ready outfielder and Torreyes is a 19-year-old infielder who posted some big numbers at Single-A.
If the Reds can get Marshall signed beyond 2012 that would change things, but from the Cubs’ point of view getting a young, cheap mid-rotation starter and a pair of solid prospects for a reliever one year away from free agency is pretty nice work.
