The Chicago Cubs’ pursuit of pitching before the July 31 trade deadline is the topic of almost all fan chatter.
Cubs president Jed Hoyer, by all accounts, is aggressively pursuing starting pitching as well as relief help and there’ve been Cubs ties to a number of arms over the last several days.
The team would like to add a high-end starter to a rotation that is firmly anchored with Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga, but then plagued with question marks the rest of the way. They’d also like to pick up a quality reliever to help bolster a bullpen that seems to be losing steam, quickly, as the season advances.
But could all (or most) of the Cubs’ pitching answers already be with the organization, just waiting to come back healthy?
Javier Assad is coming back
Last week, right-hander Javier Assad pitched 3 scoreless innings, striking out 6, in his first rehab outing at the Arizona Complex League.
Assad was injured and re-injured in the spring and hadn’t thrown a competitive pitch all season due to his oblique issue.
The next step in his comeback will be a rehab assignment with the Tripe-A Iowa Cubs in the middle of this week with the target being a possible major league return around mid-August.
“It’s been a tough season for Javy in terms of, you know, he was really injured most of spring training and his entirety of the season,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters. “But I think the thing to remember is that we have important baseball left and he can be a contributor.
“He’s on a good track right now, and I know it’s good to be around the team again and get you feeling like you’re close.
“I think we’re going to prepare him as a starter, but I think, yes, I think, you know, by mid-August … you certainly have to consider everything when you get to mid-August.”
Contributing to the Chicago Cubs success
Aug 31, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Javier Assad (72) reacts after coming off the mound against the Washington Nationals during the sixth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images
Originally projected to be the Cubs’ fifth starter this season, the hope is that Assad, who has a 3.40 ERA over 3 seasons and 70 career appearances, can still contribute to a team that desperately needs pitching.
“Just trying to get back to my 100 percent,” Assad said Saturday, via translator. “Once I get back, just help in whatever capacity the team needs.”
But could that help come on the mound or as a valuable trade asset?
Flipping Assad at the trade deadline
Competition for high-end talent at this trade deadline is fierce and many seller teams, who don’t see themselves too far from being buyers themselves, are asking for field-ready players as part of any big-ticket deals.
Assad, who turns 28 this Wednesday, is certainly someone who can be considered a “field-ready” asset.
Hoyer and the Cubs just may find more benefit from Assad as a trade piece than from what he can give the team over the last month-and-a-half of the season.
For instance, could he be flipped to the Arizona Diamondbacks for third base slugger Eugenio Suarez, thereby allowing Chicago to retain some of their prospects, who can then be used for deals involving high-end team-controlled arms?
Then again, Assad is also a team-controlled arm, signed through 2028, with an established level of big league success, albeit not with a high-end arsenal of pitches.
The return of Jameson Taillon, which is also slated for mid-August, could diminish the importance of Assad’s return, likely pushing him into the role of long relief. If they could use Assad to help bring in an All-Star asset for a playoff push, that would be significantly more helpful to the team than whatever he’d achieve as an inning-eater in the bullpen.
The MLB trade deadline is this Thursday, July 31, at 5 p.m. central time.
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