The Chicago Cubs have the best record in baseball. They are coming off a series sweep, showing they may be heating up again. Their young core is no doubt the best this town has seen in a while. They are possibly the best that Major League Baseball has seen in some time as well. Their starting rotation is also having a phenomenal year. All five starters are in the top-30 pitchers in baseball for ERA. The one fault this team seems to have is a roller coaster of a bullpen. The Chicago Cubs trade rumors have picked up, especially involving the New York Yankees, to help correct this.
Cubs Need Bullpen Improvement
The Cubs need a power lefty who can help them in the second half of the season, and more importantly in the postseason. Travis Wood is currently the only lefty with ten innings or more on the roster. Wood has been pitching very well, with a 2.23 ERA, and hasn’t suffered a loss all year. However, he isn’t the overpowering pitcher the Cubs need. Wood gave up four runs in seven-plus innings pitched in the 2015 postseason. While these numbers aren’t bad, they could be better.
If the first half of the season is any indication of how the second half will go, the Cubs will more than likely be facing either the Washington Nationals and/or the San Francisco Giants at some point in the playoffs. These two teams have very talented left-handed hitters. The Nats have players like Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy, and Danny Espinosa, while the Giants have Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, and Angel Pagan. The Cubs are going to need a shutdown left-handed pitcher.
Chicago Cubs Trade Rumors
The Cubs and the Yankees have been in the middle of rumors for weeks now involving big name bullpen arms coming to Chicago. Andrew Miller is at the heart of these rumors. Miller is quickly becoming the most dominate lefty bullpen arm in the game. He has accumulated a 1.34 ERA and .624 WHIP in thirty-three appearances. He’s averaging 16.8 strikeouts per nine innings pitched, which comes out to a 50+% strikeout rate. He also has an astonishing 2.4% walk rate. To go along with his dominate stuff, Miller is also signed to a very team-friendly deal, as he’s locked up through 2018. With these factors in mind, it is going to take a lot to get Miller from the Yankees.
Aroldis Chapman is the other name being talked about. Chapman is having a slightly down year. He is pitching to a 3.15 ERA, which is the highest he’s had since 2011. Chapman is also tied to an expiring contract after signing a one-year, $11 million deal this past off-season. He also had off-the-field issues this past winter, which resulted in him getting a thirty-game suspension. This may result in a team questioning whether they want him to representing their club or not. Details of that can be found here.
A Chicago Cubs Online article revealed not-so-secret information that the Yankees would need Kyle Schwarber in return for Miller. Many teams are going to be interested in the two lefties, so the Yanks may just simply say, “Schwarber or we move on to the next team”. While Schwarber may seem like a huge asking price, consider the fact that he doesn’t have a spot on this team. He is a below average outfielder, accumulating a negative defensive WAR, and Willson Contreras will surely be the everyday catcher next season. While Cubs fans would hate to see the explosive bat of Schwarber go somewhere else, it may help the team win a ring this year. It will also give the Cubs a solid arm for the next two years.
Cubs Could Use Backup Plan
While it is unlikely the Cubs pull the trigger on this deal, another possible option is to try for a cheaper arm. Sean Doolittle of the Oakland Athletics could be an answer for the Cubs needs. Doolittle is also signed through 2018 for even cheaper. He has 2.93 ERA so far this year, and has a lower strikeout percentage at 28.9%. His K rate is still pretty good and his walk rate is close at 6.6%. The Cubs may make a blockbuster-type deal involving Schwarber, but if they don’t, Doolittle could be a pretty low-cost, high-value backup plan.
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