Chicago Cubs linked to trade for incredibly odd 6-foot-9 pitcher

By now, you know the Chicago Cubs need starting pitching, as their rotation has been absolutely decimated by injuries over the first couple of months of the season.

The good news is that there should be plenty of intriguing options available for the Cubs between now and the trade deadline, and considering how dire their starting pitching situation could become, they may want to get a move on in terms of completing deals.

While names like Joe Ryan, Robbie Ray and Sandy Alcantara are the most common arms being linked to Chicago, the Cubs may want to set their sights on more realistic targets. At least for now.

There are a host of compelling mid-level arms around baseball who could boost Chicago’s staff, and while they may not represent the most exciting additions, they could at least provide the Cubs with the help they need.

Brandon Glick of Cubbies Crib has identified one such hurler in particular, tabbing Minnesota Twins starter Bailey Ober as a potential trade target.

Chicago Cubs could target a trade for Bailey Ober

Ober is certainly an odd pitcher, to say the least.

Standing 6-foot-9, Ober entered the big leagues with the Twins in 2021 and has been a mainstay in their starting rotation ever since. But in spite of his intimidating size, he isn’t the flamethrowing strikeout artist you would anticipate … and even drew a comparison to former Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks.

“Despite wildly different statures (Hendricks is six inches shorter and about 70 pounds lighter), both succeed in similar ways,” Glick wrote. “Like The Professor, Ober has little velocity to speak of; his 88.6 MPH average on his fastball this year is the third-lowest in the league, directly ahead of Cubs reliever Hoby Milner.”

Ober has logged a 3.46 ERA through nine starts in 2026, allowing 38 hits while registering 39 strikeouts over 52 innings of work.

Given the righty’s style, Glick thinks Ober would be a perfect fit in Chicago.

“Ober makes a living by inducing weak contact and limiting walks, and his breaking balls are always among the best in the league (by run value) thanks to his ridiculous 7.2-foot extension off the mound,” Glick wrote. “Because he doesn’t throw hard, he doesn’t strike out a ton of batters, meaning he needs a good defense behind him to succeed. It just so happens that the Cubs rank first as a team in Outs Above Average (+19) this year.”

Ober owns a respectable lifetime 4.03 ERA and recently pitched a complete game shutout against the Miami Marlins, so there definitely is quite a bit to like about him, even if he isn’t what you would initially expect.

The 30-year-old is also under club control through 2027, so the Cubs wouldn’t have to worry about losing him to free agency next winter.

The post Chicago Cubs linked to trade for incredibly odd 6-foot-9 pitcher appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-linked-to-trade-for-incredibly-odd-6-foot-9-pitcher/