Chicago Cubs reportedly checking availablility of Justin Verlander and Alex Avila
According to recent MLB trade rumors, the Chicago Cubs have checked the availability of Detroit Tigers catcher Alex Avila and starting pitcher Justin Verlander. They even sent scouts to a recent Verlander start.
Despite their disappointing 41-41 record, the Chicago Cubs certainly expect to be buyers ahead of the July 31st MLB trade deadline. Despite playing poor baseball all season long, the Cubs only trail the Milwaukee Brewers by 2.5 games for the lead in the National League Central and undoubtedly still have the talent to make a run this season.
The 36-45 Detroit Tigers, on the other hand, are in last place and figure to be obvious sellers at the deadline. According to MLB insider Jon Morosi, the two sides have recently spoken about a deal involving catcher Alex Avila and starting pitcher Justin Verlander.
#Cubs inquired to #Tigers on availability of Justin Verlander and Alex Avila, sources say, but sides have not engaged in trade negotiations.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 4, 2017
#Cubs had a scout in attendance Sunday in Detroit, when Verlander gave up 7 earned runs in 3-1/3 innings. @MLBNetwork @MLB #Tigers
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 4, 2017
Why Avila?
After moving on from Miguel Montero, the Cubs could certainly use some veteran presence behind the plate. Avila has been absolutely fantastic this season with the bat (.310/.431/.571) and would undoubtedly be a strong addition to the Cubs’ lineup. That being said, would his expected high asking price be worth it for the Chicago Cubs?
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Avila is a great fit, but he becomes a free agent after the 2017 season. Also, they already have a strong starting catcher in Willson Contreras. They may be better off finding a lower-cost veteran option for the backup role.
Verlander certainly a risk
Verlander being mentioned here is interesting, even though he did not have a good showing in front of a Cubs’ scout on Sunday. The 34-year-old right-hander really seemed to get his career back on track last season. However, his 2017 numbers have been pretty awful.
His 4.96 ERA and 4.36 FIP are certainly higher than you would like to see. Also, according to FanGraphs, his strikeout rate is way down (28.1% in 2016 compared to 21.1% in 2017), and his walk rate is way up (6.3% in 2016 compared to 10.8% in 2017). Walking more batters are striking out fewer is not exactly a recipe for success.
On top of that, Verlander is allowing a lot more hard contact than ever before (37.8% this season, compared to 28.9% last season). Simply put, Verlander has not been very good and his advanced numbers do not suggest much of a turnaround.
Also, Verlander is still under contract through the 2019 season at $28 million per year. Not exactly a great contract for his current performance. We all know that Verlander has some nice upside, but it is really worth taking on that contract?
Worth it for Cubs?
If the prospect haul is minimal, this trade may be worth it for the Chicago Cubs. That being said, if they are paying the full price on Verlander’s contract (doubtful, the Tigers would probably help pay that contract), the acquisition cost show be extremely low.
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If they are willing to bite the bullet on the contract, acquiring Verlander and Avila is not a bad idea.
They each have a ton of upside and fill important needs on the 2017 roster.