Chicago Cubs tied to 2 NL West teams amid trade deadline buzz

The Chicago Cubs are inching closer to the August 3 trade deadline without having secured crucial pitching reinforcement needed for a legit playoff push.

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With just about eleven days to go and a trade market that looks much tighter than previously expected, finding the much-needed pitching cavalry will prove to be a daunting task for Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer.

As expected, though, rumor and buzz is everywhere right now as the team looks to secure a Wild Card spot and, hopefully, push to regain first place in the NL Central Division from the Milwaukee Brewers.

One recent concentrated volley of buzz has come from veteran MLB insiders Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic.

In Thursday’s column, Rosenthal and Sammon connected the Cubs to two AL West teams that are expected to be sellers at the deadline—the Seatlle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels.

Cubs-Mariners swap

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When it comes to the Mariners, they specifically mentioned right-handed starter Emerson Hancock, who is reportedly being shopped around:

“The Chicago Cubs, who already have acquired left-hander David Peterson and righty Aaron Civale while trying to patch together their rotation, seemingly would be a team interested in Hancock.

Three Cubs right-handed hitters of varying experience — right fielder Seiya Suzuki, infielder/outfielder Matt Shaw and outfielder Kevin Alcantara — could appeal to the Mariners.”

The complication for Chicago is that the Mariners will demand someone who can contribute immediately. They are just a half-game behind the Rangers in their division and two games behind the Red Sox for the third AL Wild Card spot.

Suzuki would be that immediate right-handed contributor. But, for the Cubs, would the subtraction of Suzuki’s offense be worth the pitching contributions of Hancock?

Dealing Shaw or Alcantara for Hancock, though, might be a no-brainer. The 27-year-old is having a breakthrough year in Seattle, posting a 3.16 ERA over 19 games and 105.1 innings. He’s also under team control through the 2030 season.

Cubs-Angels swap

The Angels, meanwhile, have two attractive starting pitching targets for the Cubs in Reid Detmers and Jose Soriano.

Per Rosenthal and Sammon:

“But the Cubs, canvassing the entire market for starters, potentially could line up with the Los Angeles Angels for righty Jose Soriano or lefty Reid Detmers as well.

The Angels, according to a person briefed on their pursuits, are interested in acquiring a young catcher. Owen Ayers, the Cubs’ No. 10 prospect according to The Athletic’s Keith Law, might qualify. Ayers, 25, started the season in High A and is now at Triple A.”

Making a deal with the last place Angels would be less complicated as they would take prospects in return, per the mention of Ayers above.

Both Detmers and Soriano are 27-years-old and under team control through the 2028 season. However, some degree of doubt also comes attached to both as their consistency and physical durability have come into question. Detmers is on pace to easily surpass his career high in innings pitched and Soriano has two Tommy John surgeries in his not-too-distant past (in 2020 and 2021).

The Cubs are expected to be aggressive buyers at the deadline, but they will have lots of competition while shopping for pitchers.

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