Chicago Cubs urged to explore two off-the-beaten-path pitching pickups

The Chicago Cubs need pitching. Let’s not even beat around the bush when it comes to that reality.

On the starting pitching side of things, the team has lost ace Justin Steele for the season with an elbow injury. Co-ace Shota Imanaga has been out since early May with a hamstring injury that has proven to be a trickier mend than anticipated. Javier Assad has yet to pitch this season as he deals with an oblique issue that could keep him out of commission for a good bit longer.

In the bullpen, Porter Hodge is on the IL, dealing with an oblique issue of his own, which has now morphed into a hip problem. Offseason acquisition Ryan Pressly has not been the closer the Cubs had hoped him to be and his now sort of in bullpen limbo.

Just in general, though, a team needs a depth of pitching, especially if the team has serious postseason aspirations.

Chicago Cubs May Have To Get Creative With Pitching Additions

With the trade deadline still well down the road and the market looking to be slim and competitive, anyway, the Cubs may have to get creative in finding arms to fortify their rotation and secure their bullpen, while hoping for the healthy return of Imanaga.

Two recent proposals fall so far off the beaten path that some might say they’ve rolled into a ditch on the side of the road. But, actually, they might be worth looking into.

An 18-Year Veteran As New Blood?

Alexander Patt of Cubbies Crib recently suggested that the Cubs pursue Charlie Morton from the last-place Baltimore Orioles.

The 41-year-old, 18-year mega-veteran has a 2-7 record this season with a chillingly awful 6.20 ERA.

He signed a one-year, $15 million deal this off seasn with the Orioles as a free agent and is at the tail end of a long career where he earned a reputation as a rotation depth workhorse with the Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, and Tampa Bay Rays.

Although his numbers look bad, he seems to be rebounding after a horrific start to the season, which saw him lose his rotation spot. According to Patt, Morton has posted a “3.27 ERA, 4.43 FIP, and 31 strikeouts over his last nine appearances.” He’s also earned his way back into the rotation and has allowed just 2 earned runs in 12.2 innings over 2 starts in this second run.

Per Patt:

“It is a small sample size, and Father Time will prevail at some point, but this could be a realistic early option. Morton can still throw a mid-90s fastball and mix in a cutter, slider, curve, and offspeed stuff. While not the 26-29 percent strikeout pitcher he once was, he is still striking out roughly 21 percent of hitters.

The real question is whether his recent solid work is a trend or if his early-season struggles are a sign of things to come. If he pitches the way he has recently, Morton could be a potential addition to the rotation who can go out and be trusted to take the ball every five days and give a team some innings.”

A Cubs Bullpen Reunion?

Brett Taylor of Bleacher Nation, meanwhile, suggests that the Cubs may want to look into a possible reunion with Jorge Lopez, who was recently let go by the Washington Nationals after posting a horrid 6.57 ERA so far this season.

Like Morton, though, Lopez has pitched well enough of late, allowing 2 earned runs in 5.2 innings over his last six appearances.

Last season, Lopez was acquired by the Cubs after being released by the New York Mets after the now-infamous glove-throwing incident at Citi Field. In Chicago, he excelled, delivering a 2.03 ERA in 26. 2 innings pitched. As a free agent, he signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Nationals.

Per Taylor:

“Lopez, 32, has had a very up-and-down path in his baseball career, periodically being a dominating bullpen arm, periodically being an unusable bullpen arm, and periodically getting heat for things that don’t have anything to do with his pitching (including a possible dust-up with Nationals manager Dave Martinez shortly before he was let go).

In 26.2 innings with the Cubs last year, Lopez posted a 2.03 ERA, with sparkling peripherals, and was, by all accounts, a model teammate. Maybe the Cubs are just a better fit for him? He does have a whole lot of experience with Craig Counsell, going back to his younger days in Milwaukee.”

The right-handers, Charlie Morton and Jorge Lopez, are not all-stars and not likely to be impact players over the long haul, but they may be quality hole-fillers and insurance pieces in case the Chicago Cubs can’t acquire the pitchers they want at the trade deadline. They would also come very cheap, with Lopez coming over for nothing but the worth of his contract.

They are, at the very least, options to be considered.

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