Chicago Cubs: Two trade deadline pitchers who could be had practically free

The Chicago Cubs need pitching. They REALLY need pitching. As evidenced by Friday’s 17-1 drubbing at the hands of the division rival St. Louis Cardinals, things have the potential to get very ugly as the team continues to man their injury-decimated pitching staff with castoff arms from other organizations.

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In yesterday’s ugly beating, Cubs newcomers David Peterson and Bryse Wilson gave up 17 earned runs in 7 combined innings. Unfortunately, Friday was probably closer to meeting reasonable expectations than Peterson’s and Wilson’s Cubs debuts on June 27 and 28, respectively, when they allowed just two total earned runs in 10 innings.

But what else can the Cubs do but keep plugging in emergency fill-ins however possible? The trade deadline is still about a month away and not many teams seem willing right now to part with pitching.

The reality of this situation is that the Cubs will have to ride out this storm until they can have a chance of adding some arms at the deadline.

Another reality, though, is that the Cubs’ organization is not exactly overflowing with prospect capital or, at least, with prospect capital the team is willing to part with.

So, Chicago may have to engage in some extreme creative shopping before the August 3 deadline. And if they can add an arm or two who could also be penciled beyond 2026, well, all the better.

Two under-the-radar trade targets

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Paul Niemiec of North Side Baseball recently tossed out a couple of names that may not be Sandy Alcantara, Joe Ryan, Logan Webb headline-grabbing acquisitions, but could be quality pickups nonetheless.

One is Michael Wacha of the Kansas City Royals.

Per Niemiec:

“Wacha is in the midst of another strong season for the last-place Royals…Wacha leads the team in innings pitched with 108 2/3, and has the lowest ERA of any starter on their staff, at 3.31. He is also pitching with a defense behind him that ranks 20th in DRS. On the Cubs, this is a guy who could not only improve their depth but actually provide meaningful innings in the postseason. Since he is owed $14 million next season, the Royals might jump at the chance to move him.”

The other is Michael Lorenzen of the Colorado Rockies.

Again, per Niemiec:

“Does anyone else feel like Lorenzen should have played on the Cubs by now? Knowing how the front office operates, he seems like a perennial free agent target for this team. The Rockies aren’t a bottom-tier defensive team, placing 17th in the league in team DRS, but Coors Field is not doing Lorenzen any favors. He has an unsightly 6.83 ERA, and his FIP is 4.70, but, shrug: Coors.”

The low cost of important arms

Niemiec feels that Wacha could be had for a package headlined by Triple-A first baseman Jonathon Long and High-A second baseman Ty Southisene. He estimated that Lorenzen could go for Triple-A second baseman James Triantos.

Long and Triantos have no path to starting with the big league Cubs and Southisene is a long way away from major league consideration.

The Cubs would be giving up practically nothing for two starting pitchers with a degree of success behind them and years of potential team control (Wacha is under contract next season and subject to a club option in 2028 at $14 million per season. The Cubs would have a $9 million club option on Lorenzen for the 2027 season).

Acquiring starting pitchers who can contribute beyond this year is especially important given that Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, and Jameson Taillon are set to become free agents at the end of this season.

Wacha and Lorenzen are certainly names worth checking out. At this point, the Cubs can’t afford to overlook any pitching that might come into their line of sight.

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