Complete list of Cubs trade deadline pitching targets, according to an MLB insider

The Chicago Cubs are 57-44 entering Wednesday’s action, giving them sole possession of the top Wild Card spot in the National League. That isn’t a bad spot to be in, but with the Cubs still 6.0 games back of the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central and lagging behind talent-wise against the Los Angeles Dodgers, it’s clear that Jed Hoyer has work to do when it comes to guiding this team to World Series contention.

The area in which Hoyer should be eager to improve is the starting rotation. Matthew Boyd and Jameson Taillon recently returned from injuries, and David Peterson has pitched well in three of his four starts with Chicago, but with Cade Horton out for the year and the likes of Edward Cabrera, Ben Brown and Justin Steele without clear timelines for a return, the rotation needs fortification. FanSided’s MLB insider Robert Murray listed five starters in particular that should be of interest to Chicago.

Freddy Peralta, New York Mets

• Robert’s Take: “The Mets are sellers, Peralta is on an expiring contract, and he is an obvious candidate to change teams. Get him to Chicago and reunited with his old manager Craig Counsell and perhaps Peralta becomes what he once was in Milwaukee.”

The Freddy Peralta fit is an interesting one. He’s had the worst season of his career by virtually every metric, and he’s only struggled more as the season has progressed, but a change of scenery away from the cellar-dwelling New York Mets could help him revert to his All-Star form. As the Cubs know all too well, Peralta was a legitimate frontline starter with the Brewers. He finished fifth in the NL Cy Young balloting literally last season. It would not be surprising to see him improve with Craig Counsell by his side in a familiar division. Even if he doesn’t, Peralta is a good clubhouse presence who will take the ball every fifth day, and shouldn’t cost much given his performance and his rental status. He’s worth taking a look at, especially if his price tag isn’t exorbitant.

Trevor Rogers, Baltimore Orioles

• Robert’s Take: “If the Orioles sell – still a question right now – teams will be lining up for Rogers. He’s posted a 4.28 ERA in 18 starts this year and is a name to watch the next couple weeks.”

Trevor Rogers and his 4.28 ERA might not seem so exciting on the surface, but he finished ninth in the AL Cy Young balloting last season despite making just 18 starts, showing how dominant he can be, and he has a 1.69 ERA in his last eight starts. He’s pitched into the sixth inning and allowed three runs or fewer in seven of those eight outings, with the lone exception being five shutout innings he threw in Cincinnati in early July. If the Baltimore Orioles sell (and, as Murray noted, that’s certainly an if), acquiring Rogers, who shouldn’t break the bank thanks to his expiring contract, would make a lot of sense.

Clay Holmes, New York Mets

• Robert’s Take: “Holmes is going to be a fascinating one to watch. He’s currently on the Injured List and an extension is also a possibility. If he isn’t extended, then a trade makes sense, and the Cubs – and perhaps even the White Sox, among many other teams – would be wise to check in with David Stearns to see what it takes. He’s a difference-maker.”

The Cubs already made a trade for a groundball pitcher from the Mets, and they’ve already seen a return on that investment. Peralta’s track record is better than Clay Holmes’, but I actually like Holmes’ fit more with the Cubs in particular because he, too, generates ground balls at an elite rate. He ranks in the 94th percentile with a 55.3 percent ground ball rate this season, and he was pitching extremely well, posting a 2.39 ERA in nine starts, before suffering a leg injury. It’s never ideal to trade for an injured pitcher, but Holmes should be back in the majors within the next couple of weeks, and with Gold Glove winners Dansby Swanson, Alex Bregman and Nico Hoerner behind him in the infield, he could be an outstanding get for the Cubs if the Mets choose not to extend him.

Joe Ryan, Minnesota Twins

• Robert’s Take: “I’m putting a higher-end option here and, really, no one knows what the Twins will do at the deadline. But many teams will ask about Ryan, he’s a playoff-caliber pitcher where if he’s starting a game, you feel good about your chances. But do the Cubs have enough to get it done?”

Joe Ryan is undoubtedly the biggest name on this list, making him the unlikeliest candidate to wind up in the Windy City. He’s the best pitcher of the five Murray lists, and the fact that he’d come with an additional year of club control only makes him less likely to get traded by the Minnesota Twins, a team on the postseason bubble, but more expensive to acquire. Still, if (and it’s a big if) a Ryan trade is possible (which I question given the mediocrity of the Cubs’ farm system), this is the kind of player Hoyer should be uber-aggressive in trying to acquire. Getting two guaranteed bites at the apple with him as opposed to one with Tarik Skubal makes him a very enticing trade possibility.

Robbie Ray, San Francisco Giants

• Robert’s Take: “A left-handed veteran, Ray would be a nice addition for the Cubs at a relatively low cost.”

While Ryan is the most enticing option on the list, I’d argue Robbie Ray is the least enticing. The San Francisco Giants’ southpaw not quite as dynamic as he once was, with his 20.6 strikeout rate being a career low and his walk rate being higher than you’d like, but he’s still a battle-tested veteran who gets the job done. He has a 3.33 ERA and has allowed three earned runs or fewer in all but three of his 20 outings. I don’t love his upside as much as some of the others on this list, but he shouldn’t cost much, as Murray noted, and he’s a guy you can trust to eat innings. With how beaten up this Cubs rotation is, that’s incredibly valuable.

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