Chicago Cubs Names to Watch in Final Hours Before MLB Trade Deadline

[Matthew Trueblood]

Image courtesy of D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

After the Angels sent starter José Soriano to the Blue Jays Monday morning in the first big trade of deadline day, multiple league sources indicated that the team is likely to trade Reid Detmers, too. The Chicago Cubs remain interested in Detmers, but are trying to find a way either to avoid giving up catching prospect Owen Ayers or to replace him by acquiring a different young backstop as part of a two-step maneuver if they must surrender Ayers to get the controllable starter they've craved.

One source familiar with the Angels' plans said interim GM John Mozeliak is working hard to capitalize on the value of players with medium-term team control, believing that the nucleus of the next good Halos team is nestled in the team's farm system, rather than being found on the current big-league roster. That could mean that, in addition to Soriano and Detmers, reliever Ryan Zeferjahn is available. Zeferjahn, 28, has a 97-MPH fastball and a sweeper that has helped him rack up a 33.6% strikeout rate this year. He's the kind of power arm the Cubs bullpen currently lacks, though he also walks too many batters to feel like a legitimate relief ace. He's controllable even longer than Detmers, so a package deal would require a prospect haul from Chicago, but adding both of those hurlers would transform Chicago's pitching staff for the stretch run and raise their ceiling for the future, to boot.

Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins won't wait around on that potential deal, though. They're also in active conversations with multiple other teams looking to move relievers, including the Orioles (a reunion with Andrew Kittredge is very much in play; the Cubs are also keen on Rico García), Reds (Pierce Johnson, Emilio Pagán, Caleb Ferguson and Brock Burke) and Rangers (Jacob Latz, a lefty with high-leverage experience already who's arriving late on the market). García might be the most intriguing and plausible of those options. He's not at all in the vein of Zeferjahn, but the journeyman has tapped into something impressive since joining the Orioles last summer and looks like a solid potential complement to Jacob Webb in support of the soon-returning Daniel Palencia.

Finally, the team is checking in on available right-handed bats who could fit on their bench and take on platoon roles, sources say. They talked to the Royals about Lane Thomas before he was dealt to the team from outside Atlanta. They've also spoken with the Mets about outfielder Tyrone Taylor, and though they didn't choose to bundle in George Springer with Kevin Gausman when trading with the Blue Jays yesterday, they might yet revisit that possibility. An acquired batter could spell Ian Happ against left-handed pitchers, but it's more likely that they would find their playing time as a designated hitter. That gives the team a wide variety of ways to improve, but they still have to find the right fit for a team with a strong, set lineup full of veterans.

Even after taking on Gausman's significant remaining salary Sunday, the Cubs can spend more money to get better today, a source said. They have identified their preferred avenues for doing so, but so many teams are acting in both buying and selling capacities (or leaning toward staying inactive altogether) that what comes next is even harder to predict than usual.

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[Bertz]

Among pitchers with at least 30 IP this year, Rico Garcia is #1 in in-zone contact rate against.  And he's not wild or anything either.

I don't fully know what his deal is, but if you're looking to buy a guy for what he's going to do vs. name value he's gotta be near the top of the list.

[Matthew Trueblood]

8 minutes ago, Bertz said:

Among pitchers with at least 30 IP this year, Rico Garcia is #1 in in-zone contact rate against.  And he's not wild or anything either.

I don't fully know what his deal is, but if you're looking to buy a guy for what he's going to do vs. name value he's gotta be near the top of the list.

Yep. My favorite name I've heard (save one wild rumor that came to nothing) connected to them the last couple days.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

Zeferjahn seems like he figured out how to fix his walk problems in July. 17/2 K/BB in 10.2 innings.

[Jason Ross]

32 minutes ago, Bertz said:

Among pitchers with at least 30 IP this year, Rico Garcia is #1 in in-zone contact rate against.  And he's not wild or anything either.

I don't fully know what his deal is, but if you're looking to buy a guy for what he's going to do vs. name value he's gotta be near the top of the list.

He's got a funky profile too. He's bottom quarter of chase and top of the list at whiff rate. He's a weirdo and I love weirdos.

[Jason Ross]

One thing I mentioned elsewhere, but probably should mention here too: one tea leaf you can read about all of this is how guarded the Cubs are with Owen Ayers, or just, a general idea of "young catcher" that even if they lost him, they would backfill it.

If you wanted to hold out hope on Mo's defense, I think the Cubs are telling us how they feel about it here.

[mul21]

37 minutes ago, Tangled Up in Plaid said:

Zeferjahn seems like he figured out how to fix his walk problems in July. 17/2 K/BB in 10.2 innings.

He looked pretty good against the Brewers yesterday as well.  He went 1.2 and had 4 Ks.