Chicago Cubs: One area on the roster that needs to improve

The Chicago Cubs have been one of the best teams in Major League Baseball and sit atop the National League Central by three and a half games. The Cubs recently won 10 straight games (April 28 to May 8) and are 10-5 in their last 15 games.

With a top-five offense — the Cubs are fifth in batting average (.252) and fourth in OPS (.764) — the Cubs have had one of the better pitching staffs, despite a handful of injuries. The Cubs have the seventh-best starting staff (3.77 ERA and 1.17 WHIP), with the bullpen ranking 13th in ERA (3.87) and eighth in WHIP (1.24).

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Even though the starting staff has been a bright spot for the Cubs, the injuries they suffered recently could come back to haunt them later in the season.

The Chicago Cubs need to add to their pitching staff to stay competitive in a tough National League

According to MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian, “inquiring about pitching help” as the trade deadline approaches is what the Cubs need to do to counter the injuries they’ve sustained.

“The Cubs have been on a historic run of late, winning 15 consecutive home games at Wrigley Field and already having two double-digit win streaks overall,” wrote Bastian. “The offense has been firing on all cylinders, while the pitching staff has been performing well amid a steady stream of injury issues. In the rotation, Cade Horton is out for the year, Justin Steele recently had a setback in his comeback bid, and, most recently, Matthew Boyd needed left knee surgery. The Trade Deadline is still two-plus months away, but the Cubs should start looking into a potential impact arm to add to the rotation. More bullpen depth should be on Chicago’s to-do list, too.”

The recent injury to left-hander Matthew Boyd (knee surgery) leaves a massive hole in the starting rotation, especially after right-hander Cade Horton will miss the rest of the year with Tommy John surgery. The good news for the Cubs is Boyd will likely return in June or July, but with this being his second time on the injured list, the Cubs will need to monitor his innings. Boyd had a left bicep strain in early April, which kept him on the shelf until April 22.

Reports have tied the Cubs to the New York Mets right-hander Freddy Peralta, who would give the Cubs a legitimate No. 1 starter. However, the Cubs may be hesitant to trade for Peralta, as he is a free agent after this season and will require a decent sized haul to trade for him.

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