Chicago Cubs: Two realistic — but very unsexy — pitching trade targets

The Chicago Cubs have been hit with a brutal series of injuries to their pitching staff that threatens to pull the rug right out from underneath them.

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Currently on the shelf is emerging ace Cade Horton, who will be out for the season after elbow surgery, and Opening Day starter Matthew Boyd, who should be back from surgical meniscus repair at some point after the All-Star break. Lefty ace Justin Steele, meanwhile, suffered a setback in his recovery from last year’s elbow surgery and is also looking to return at some point after the break.

The bullpen, meanwhile, has also been hit hard. Caleb Thielbar and Hunter Harvey are still out while Phil Maton and Daniel Palencia have just gotten back from the IL.

If the Cubs look to be a serious postseason player and possible contender for a championship, they will need to fortify their pitching staff via trade.

Unfortunately, much of the team’s young talent is already at the major league level and the farm system isn’t exactly overrun with top-shelf prospects at the moment. So, Jed Hoyer and the front office will have to strike that balance between what they expect in terms of return and what they can conceivably give away without hurting their major league product.

There are prospects to trade away, of course, and many of them find their paths to the big leagues currently blocked. The Cubs will just have to find the right deals for the right players and may have to settle for one or two one-year pickups rather than a true stud with years left of team control.

The Athletic’s recent piece by Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma, naming 10 pitchers the Cubs could target for before the trade deadline, goes through some of the major targets, as well as some of the under-the-radar possibilities. Two particular names jumped out as especially realistic, given the trade capital the team has to work with.

Michael Soroka back to the Cubs?

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Per Mooney, Sharma:

“Soroka was mostly a disappointment after the Cubs acquired him at last year’s trade deadline, but that was due to injury. And the Cubs were probably onto something with Soroka, a one-time All-Star starter who has made meaningful mid-career adjustments.”

Cubs fans had a fit last season when the team’s biggest acquisition at the trade deadline was Michael Soroka, who had the goods, but also sported a significant history of injury and a likely role as a back-of-rotation starter at best.

And they really had a fit when the righty went on the IL after just two innings in Chicago. Soroka did come back and have a nice September, but he would then move on to a one-year deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks via free agency.

The Cubs liked Soroka enough to trade for him, though, and they felt his style fit in well with their defense behind him. They probably still feel that way and they just might be tempted to bring him back if the asking price is right.

Foster Griffin to complete his comeback

Per Mooney, Sharma:

“The Nationals may have found a viable major-league starter in Griffin, a pitcher the Cubs extensively scouted in Japan. A 2014 first-round pick by the Kansas City Royals, Griffin bounced around before landing with the Yomiuri Giants. In leaving Nippon Professional Baseball after three strong seasons, Griffin wasn’t overwhelmed with interest — the Nationals signed him to a one-year, $5.5 million contract — but the early returns (4-1, 2.12 ERA) are promising.”

The Nationals are going nowhere this year and will lose Griffin to free agency at the end of this season anyway. The Cubs have shown interest in the lefty in the recent past and could probably get him from Washington for a modest trade package.

So, there are deals to be made out there for the Cubs—deals which won’t cost them major league talent or essential prospects. It’s a guarantee that they’ll be trying to pull off something impactful as soon as possible.

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Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-trade-targets-realistic-pitching-soroka-griffin/