The Chicago Cubs undoubtedly need more starting pitching.
With Justin Steele out for the year and Shota Imanaga out at least a while longer, the Cubs are doing all they can to tread water. Matthew Boyd and Colin Rea are outperforming expectations, but reinforcements would still be a huge boost.
Unfortunately, the trade market doesn't look very promising these days. The list of sellers is small, and the players on the few tanking teams who would be obvious trade targets are struggling, by and large.
Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara was supposed to be the prize of this year's trade deadline, but he's been so bad that his stock has at least momentarily plummeted. However, one baseball writer still believes he could be in play for the Cubs.
On Monday, Brad Wakai of Cubs on SI urged Chicago to keep Alcantara on their radar and consider buying low on him if the price is right.
"This would be a risky move to make for Chicago since the 2022 NL Cy Young winner has not looked like himself this season after coming back from Tommy John surgery, currently sitting with an 8.42 ERA across his seven starts where his K/9 rate of 6.7 is the lowest of his career," Wakai wrote.
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"But this could be a buy-low opportunity for the Cubs since Alcantara's Stuff+ is still above the league average, suggesting a turnaround could be coming if he gets his location issues figured out."
It hasn't been pretty for Alcantara, the 2022 National League Cy Young winner. The 29-year-old has an 8.10 ERA through 36 2/3 innings this season, with seven home runs allowed and an uncharacteristic walk rate of 12.5 percent.
Still, his $56 million contract, which runs through 2026 with a $21 million club option for 2027, is team-friendly for any starter, not just an ace. If he can start making a dent in his struggles, the Cubs shouldn't close the door.
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