The Chicago Cubs got a serving of bad news in the midst of a feel-good run of victories when it was announced on Wednesday that lefty ace Justin Steele would be headed to the 15-day injured list with left elbow tendonitis.
The rattling report was even more disappointing since it came following a masterful Steele performance on Monday, where he threw seven scoreless innings and allowed just three hits in a 7-0 victory over the Texas Rangers.
Things got worse for the Cubs and their faithful fans when buzz began circulating Friday morning that the injury to their top starter was possibly more severe than initially believed.
Cubs beat writer Jesse Rogers, in a Friday morning appearance on ESPN 1000, expressed his informed, but as of yet unconfirmed, belief that Steele’s stay on the injured list will be longer than the current minimum.
Justin Steele’s Injury Has Dire Implications
In a worst case scenario, the Cubs face the reality that they could lose their most consistent starter for an extended period of time. Even in a best case scenario, though, the team will have to work around Steele’s limitations for fear of aggravating the sensitive injury to his throwing arm.
And all of that means that the Cubs absolutely, positively need to bring in a new starting pitcher who can deliver quality innings every fifth day.
A returning Javier Assad is not the answer to that need. Bringing someone like Jordan Wicks back from the minors is not the answer. Working swing men like Colin Rea and Brad Keller into the rotation also isn’t a long-term answer.
As Brian Kelder of North Side Baseball recently pointed out, when assessing the “what if” implications of losing either Steele of Shota Imanaga for an extended period of time:
“I guess the answer to that will come quickly! Colin Rea was signed precisely for these moments as a swing arm. Jordan Wicks is struggling with a 1.76 WHIP in his first two starts in Iowa, Cade Horton isn’t stretched out, and Chris Flexen also sports a WHIP over 1.70. There is not a pitcher in the system that can be expected to come near to Justin Steele’s projected line.
The Cubs gambled a lot of their season on Imanaga and Steele maintaining their elite level while, in Steele’s case, increasing his workload. Matthew Boyd has been outstanding, also, which lessens the blow of Steele missing time. Even so, the team cannot afford to lose Steele for an extended period of time. They just weren’t built to withstand his loss.”
There are also legitimate question marks when it comes to the oft-injured and surgically repaired Boyd’s durability and Jameson Taillon’s consistency.
The Chicago Cubs Must Make A Trade
So, at this point, there’s no other option than a trade.
The problem is that most teams won’t be up for such a big trade, involving a valuable starting pitching asset, this early in the season. Even the no-hope teams already considering themselves out of contention would prefer to make their deals closer to the trade deadline, when market demand allows them to ask more for their trade-fodder pitchers.
So, if the Cubs do make a trade for starting pitching now, it’ll probably have to be for a stopgap budget mid-to-back-of-rotation starter, with the idea of making a bigger acquisition at the trade deadline.
With that in mind, here are two realistic potential trade targets who fit the Cubs needs, at least for right now.
Two Realistic Cubs Trade Targets
Veteran right-hander Zack Littell has struggled for the Tampa Bay Rays so far this year and is currently playing through the last year of his contract with the team, which is projected by most to be a .500 club.
It’s quite likely that the Rays would be willing to deal him right now for a smallish asking price and to remove his $5.7 million salary from their books.
Littell has mostly been a starter in recent years, but he’s had his best seasons as a quality swing man who can start as well as serve as long relief.
Another trade target could be the Miami Marlins’ Cal Quantrill.
The 30-year-old, 7-year veteran was a bargain bin $3.5 million free agent pickup for the Marlins late this offseason, but could easily be flipped via trade for the right minor league asset.
Sporting a lifetime 4.09 ERA, Quantrill could be tacked on to the end of the Cubs’ rotation.
Picking up someone like Littell or Quantrill would purely be to eat innings and bide time until Chicago can pull off a bigger starting pitching acquisition at the deadline. Moves like this will be essential if Steele is lost for any extended period of time.
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