Chicago Cubs Trade Rumors: Starting pitching is the priority
The Chicago Cubs have enjoyed a successful start of the 2021 regular season as the team is near the top of the National League Central division. With the Cubs appearing to be contenders and trade rumors beginning to bubble to the surface, the team now appears to be buyers for the Major League Baseball trade deadline on July 30.
The Cubs’ success this season is in large part due to the efforts they have received from a bullpen that is anchored by Craig Kimbrel, Dan Winkler, and Ryan Tepera. On days in which the Cubs’ bullpen may have fallen short, the offense has provided timely hits in order to keep the team in games.
Where the Cubs have fallen short this off-season and what could prove to be their eventual downfall is their starting pitching. With the exception of the month of May where the Cubs’ starting rotation boasted the best ERA in the National League, the Cubs’ rotation has been plagued with inconsistency.
The inconsistency for the Cubs’ starting rotation has started with Kyle Hendricks. After the Cubs’ front office was forced to trade Yu Darvish this past off-season in a trade that was a pure salary dump, Hendricks was cemented as the legitimate ace of the Cubs’ rotation. The issue is that Hendricks has not performed like an ace this season.
The Chicago Cubs need to acquire a starting pitcher at the Major League Baseball trade deadline if their season is going to amount to any form of success.
Through 12 starts this season, Hendricks has posted a 4.59 ERA but his 5.47 FIP, 1.413 WHIP, and 2.2 HR/9 speak to the struggles that the starting pitcher has had this season. The reason why the Cubs can not afford to have Hendricks be inconsistent is because the Cubs’ rotation also includes an aging Jake Arrieta, inconsistency from Zach Davies and Trevor Williams, and a developing Adbert Alzolay.
More from Chicago Cubs
- Chicago Cubs in the middle of chaos that is Shohei Ohtani’s free agency
- The Chicago Cubs are on a roller coaster of emotions chasing Shohei Ohtani
- Chicago Cubs Rumors: latest on Bellinger, Chapman, and Hoskins
- National insider takes Chicago Cubs out of Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes
- One overlooked factor when it comes to Shohei Ohtani not signing with the Chicago Cubs
The Cubs’ starting rotation does not have a stopper. For instance, the Cubs have lost four of their last five games. Hendricks was on the mound for the Cubs’ victory on Sunday but needed to be bailed out by the team’s offense. The Cubs are in need of a starting pitcher that they an plug into their rotation and view his starts as “Win day”.
“Win day” was the mindset that the Cubs had last season each time that Darvish took the mound for the team. Darvish is the exact pitcher that the Cubs but, unfortunately, there is no rewind button in Major League Baseball.
There have been whispers that the Washington Nationals may make Max Scherzer available and the Cubs certainly should exhaust every effort in an attempt to acquire Scherzer. Even if Scherzer is not the starting pitcher that is acquired by the Cubs, it goes without saying that acquiring a starting pitcher is a necessity for the Cubs at the trade deadline.
Related Story. Three trades that land the Chicago Cubs Max Scherzer. light
If the Cubs fail to acquire a legitimate starting pitcher by the Major League Baseball trade deadline on July 30, then this would be the first failure by Jed Hoyer as the president of baseball operations for the organization. Failure in the sense that the Cubs are not a World Series contender without the addition of a starting pitcher. Meaning, the efforts from the aforementioned Kimbrel and offensive stars Kris Bryant and Javier Baez would all be for naught. Thus, once again, placing the Chicago Cubs in baseball hell at the end of the season.