Cubs dealt harsh reality with starting rotation amid World Series pursuit

Cubs dealt harsh reality with starting rotation amid World Series pursuit originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The MLB trade deadline is on August 3, and there is still well over a month until teams need to finally make decisions on whether they’re buyers or sellers, and how far they go in pursuit of a rebuild or a World Series title.

For the Chicago Cubs, this team is looking to win it all. The issue for this team is that to be a legitimate contender, they need a lot more help.

As The Athletic’s Eno Sarris highlighted, if the Cubs are to truly contend for a World Series title, they will need to add more help to the starting rotation this summer. That means the Cubs need to trade for a good starter, which isn’t a guarantee at all.

Cubs dealt harsh reality of World Series title hopes

“… but if the Cubs still have championship aspirations, they are probably still feeling the need for a top-end starter,” Sarris writes.

The Cubs were ranked by Sarris as the team with the second-greatest need for starting pitching in Major League Baseball behind only the Athletics.

Considering the A’s aren’t a real World Series contender this season, and are instead building for the future, the Cubs are the World Series contender with the most urgent need for starting pitching this season.

Cubs’ current rotation outlook is bleak

Looking at their current rotation, it makes sense. The 38-36 Cubs are dealing with a litany of injured starters who could make up a good starting rotation on their own.

Cade Horton is done for the season, Justin Steele’s setback has him well behind for a potential return, and both Matthew Boyd and Jameson Taillon are on the injured list.

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Edward Cabrera returned from the IL recently, but during his most recent outing, he left early with trainers due to a right-hand cramp. While it might not be overly concerning, the already laundry list of hurt starters makes this issue hurt more than it should.

Unfortunately, it’s not just injuries posing a problem for the Cubs. Shota Imanaga has a 4.26 ERA, Colin Rea has a 5.35 ERA, Javier Assad has a 3.99 ERA, and Cabrera has a 5.21 ERA. Only Ben Brown, with his 1.74 ERA, has been a good starter this year.

Boyd has a 6.00 ERA on the IL, while Taillon has a 5.19 ERA. Horton had a 2.45 ERA before his injury in his second start, and Steele has yet to pitch this season.

Cubs have some trade options for help this summer

Overall, the Cubs’ rotation is a mess. They clearly need help, and as Sarris points out, if they want to have any hope of winning a World Series this year, they need to add an elite starter.

Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers, Freddy Peralta of the New York Mets, and Joe Ryan of the Minnesota Twins are some solid options.

MORE: Tarik Skubal being traded by Tigers would help him in free agency

But there are plenty of other intriguing names, like Sonny Gray, Reid Detmers, Robbie Ray, Sandy Alcantara, Casey Mize, Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo, Kris Bubic, and Jose Soriano, who could work in a trade for the Cubs.

Starting pitching won’t come cheap, but the Cubs might not have any choice if they want to win it all this year. It’s a harsh reality for the Cubs that they have to spend so much to contend this season, as their starting rotation has severely disappointed.

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