We’ve been saying it for the past few days that despite the Jesse Chavez and Cole Hamels trades that the Chicago Cubs wouldn’t be done making moves. The latest rumors have the Cubs in trade talks for another reliever, but Ken Rosenthal dropped this piece of news Monday morning.
It might be a long shot, but the Cubs may still seek out another starting pitcher. Not just a rental pitcher either, as Rosenthal specifically mentions a controllable starting pitcher.
Longshot that cannot be dismissed until after deadline passes: #Cubs getting controllable SP. Could build deal around Happ or another young hitter. Obstacles: Scarcity in market. Many teams want elite prospects over MLB pieces. CHC too thin in young pitching to add to deal.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 30, 2018
If the deal involves Ian Happ, or any other young Cubs player, then there are really only two or three guys out there that fit this scenario.
The New York Mets have Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, while the Tampa Bay Rays have reportedly been in talks with teams about Chris Archer. The Cubs were reportedly scouting him last week.
Again, these are all long shot trade scenarios, especially for deGrom, but that conversation has been had before on how the Cubs could pull off that deal.
REPORT: Two Of These Three Cubs Could Be Centerpiece In Jacob deGrom Trade
Yet, if teams really do value prospects over the young players on the Cubs, who they’re willing to trade, then this talk is moot.
However, you can’t rule anything out with this front office that hasn’t been afraid of making big trades. There’s no doubt that they’re at least attempting to make another huge splash this trade deadline.
Via The Athletic.
The focus has been on relief help, but nothing should be ruled out when Epstein is involved. His creativity and ability to pull a rabbit out of a hat should never be underestimated.
“We certainly pursued more traditional top of the rotation type fits too,” Epstein said when talking about the Hamels acquisition on Friday. “But that’s proving really difficult at this deadline.”
That doesn’t mean they’ve given up on that front. Epstein continues to kick the tires on various controllable starters, but the reality is, such a move would require a player from the major-league roster to be moved. That doesn’t mean Epstein wouldn’t do it, but the hypothetical pitcher would need to impact the team this year and beyond, while also not upsetting the team dynamic.
The next 24 hours will be interesting.
