Cubs and Cardinals could battle off-field in trade for expected All-Star

Cubs and Cardinals could battle off-field in trade for expected All-Star originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Entering the year, there was an expectation that the Chicago Cubs were going to be among the top teams not just in the National League Central, but all of baseball. 

The Cubs, however, sit at 39-36, and are even 2.5 games behind the second-place St. Louis Cardinals. The Cubs are 7.5 games out in the Central behind the Brewers and five games out of a Wild Card spot.

Interestingly enough, there’s a scenario where both teams could be in the mix for the same players, even if some would be surprised that the Cardinals are buyers. 

According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Cubs and Cardinals could both be interested in Jose Soriano, the Los Angeles Angels right-hander who started the year as one of the best pitchers in baseball.

“Since starting the season by giving up one run in his first 37⅔ innings, Soriano has posted an ERA approaching 5.00. The stuff still really plays, and plenty of organizations believe they can help work out the control kinks that can plague Soriano. Add to that the two years of control and the same pitching-hungry organizations that want Detmers — contenders and teams that intend to contend in the coming years — will be interested in Soriano,” Jeff Passan wrote.

Soriano has slowed down a tad in recent outings, and a lot of that is because of his walk problems. 

He’s walked the most hitters in the American League this year with 42, but also has 92 strikeouts throughout his 87.0 innings and a 2.79 ERA. 

For two teams that could use pitching, especially for a guy who isn’t a free agent until 2029, I don’t think it’s crazy to say we could see a bit of a bidding war.

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