PHILADELPHIA -- The Cubs targeted starter Jesús Luzardo as a potential trade addition over the offseason and nearly swung a deal to land the lefty from the Marlins. It was a trade that did not cross the finish line, but offered a snapshot into Chicago’s desire to keep adding to its rotation.
That process is ongoing for a Cubs squad that saw Luzardo -- acquired by the Phillies in December -- strike out 10 during an overpowering outing in a 7-2 loss for the North Siders on Wednesday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. With 50 days left until the Trade Deadline, acquiring pitching is atop the wishlist of Chicago’s front office.
“We’re in the information-gathering stage,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said prior to Wednesday’s game. “Obviously, we’re checking in and monitoring everything.”
The Cubs sit in first place in the National League Central with a decent cushion and 85.3% odds of reaching the playoffs, per FanGraphs. Chicago has climbed the division ladder behind the strength of its deep lineup, aggressive baserunning, strong defense and a pitching staff that has held its own amid a series of injuries and other setbacks.
The rotation, specifically, lost Justin Steele for the season in early April due to a left elbow injury that necessitated surgery and has been without Shota Imanaga for the past month as he recovers from a left hamstring issue. The staff has also been absent Javier Assad (left oblique) since Spring Training and recently saw lefty Jordan Wicks (left hamstring) hit the Minor League injured list.
While the rotation has done its part in this playoff chase -- led by veterans Jameson Taillon and Matthew Boyd -- the group’s depth has thinned. Colin Rea moved from the bullpen to the rotation after Steele went down. Rookie Cade Horton was promoted from Triple-A Iowa after Imanaga was shelved. Signed as a rotation depth piece, Chris Flexen is now in a relief role.
Righty Ben Brown is still a developing arm, looking dominant for stretches and then having some outings mixed in like on Wednesday in Philadelphia. While Brown lasted into the sixth to help save a taxed bullpen some work, the young starter allowed six runs on eight hits.
“We see clearly he has the stuff to be successful in the league,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said of Brown. “But also it’s a fine line. If you're not sharp and you're giving hitters free pitches and you’re not executing, it’s difficult to survive and to get through lineups without giving up runs.”
Even with Imanaga on target to rejoin the rotation before the end of the month, everything points to Hoyer’s front-office team looking to add at least one more starter before the July 31 Deadline.
“These guys have done a really good job in the absence of Steele and Shota and Assad,” Hoyer said. “We’ve definitely taken a lot of hits there, and these guys have held up well. But it’s a long season. We’re not even halfway through yet, so we have to continue to address that in all sorts of ways, whether it’s Trade Deadline, small transactions and hopefully getting some of these guys healthy.”
The good news is that the Cubs’ offense looks set from an acquisition standpoint. Beyond potentially looking for small ways to upgrade the bench, Hoyer believes the starting cast is essentially locked in, barring something unforeseen.
“Our position-playing group has been outstanding, both offensively and defensively,” Hoyer said. “That gives some clarity. Obviously, you don’t know what’s going to happen in the next month and a half with that group, but right now the focus would be on adding pitching and adding pitching depth. I think that would be the clear thing.”
That includes the bullpen, which has already undergone a facelift over the first few months.
In-season additions like lefty Drew Pomeranz and Génesis Cabrera, along with the likes of Brad Keller and Flexen going from non-roster invitees to bullpen standouts, have helped stabilize the relief corps. Their production -- combined with a strong run of late from Daniel Palencia, Ryan Pressly, Caleb Thielbar and Ryan Brasier -- has given Counsell options.
That said, Counsell has described the search for relief help as a constant process.
“You never stop, never get satisfied, never stop looking for those opportunities,” Counsell said recently. “The quest for opportunities and pitching, it's 365 days.”
And the next 50 days will be especially important for the Cubs.
“Listen, it’s really early,” Hoyer said. “We talk about trades this early, but the truth is, these things all happen between the Draft and the Deadline. So we have to continue to play well. That’s the most important thing -- we keep playing well.”