The Chicago Cubs' starting pitching situation will be fascinating to monitor for the next three months now that Justin Steele has been ruled out for the year.
Shota Imanaga has pitched like an ace. But Matthew Boyd, Colin Rea, and Jameson Taillon are veterans with mixed track records, and Ben Brown is unproven and off to a bad start this year, though he's got high strikeout potential.
There's plenty of reason to believe the Cubs, who are on top of the National League Central at the moment, could go after a starting pitcher on the trade market. It's a crucial year, because superstar Kyle Tucker hits free agency and could easily leave if they don't make a deep playoff run.
With that in mind, one baseball writer believes they could pursue a verteran starting pitcher who is off to a fantastic start to the season.
On Thursday, Athlon's Sam Bernardi proposed a hypothetical trade that would land Toronto Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt in Chicago for two prospects, catcher/first baseman Moisés Ballesteros and right-handed pitcher Brody McCullough.
"Jed Hoyer, who is also in a contract year, has shown his aggressiveness with the Kyle Tucker trade and Matt Shaw demotion. Now is the time for the Cubs to sacrifice prospects for a postseason run and better their odds of re-signing Tucker," Bernardi wrote.
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"Ballesteros alone could probably land Bassitt, and McCullough is mostly a throw-in for this trade idea. Ballesteros should be the future behind the plate, but his hot start for Triple-A Iowa could entice potential suitors. He is batting .402 with a 1.077 OPS and four home runs through 97 at-bats."
Bassitt, 36, has a 2.62 ERA in 34 1/3 innings this season, striking out 39 batters. His three-year, $63 million contract expires at the end of the season, so he'd be a pure rental that the Cubs might not even try to bring back if Steele is ready at the start of next season.
Giving up two talented prospects, especially a highly-touted one like Ballesteros is always tough. But it's the minimum the Cubs can probably expect to pay for a veteran starting pitcher in good form.
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