The Chicago Cubs struggles against the Milwaukee Brewers could lead to some drastic moves.
The Chicago Cubs’ critical three-game series against the division rival Milwaukee Brewers could not have started much worse.
The Brewers began the series by jumping all over Cubs ace Matthew Boyd, quickly erasing a 3-0 lead and knocking out the All-Star lefty after just five unproductive innings. Game Two was a similar story, as the Brewers tagged Colin Rea for four runs in four innings before breaking the game open against the Cubs' bullpen.
The pair of wins gives the streaking Brewers a two-game lead in the National League Central and leaves the Cubs searching for answers. Their middling rotation has been an issue all season long, and their struggles in the biggest series of the year only emphasizes the need to add another starting pitcher. And despite a recent hot streak from rookie Matt Shaw, the Cubs’ .574 OPS from the third base position is tied with the Pittsburgh Pirates for the worst mark in MLB.
With an offense among the best in baseball and superstar outfielder Kyle Tucker set to hit free agency after this season, the Cubs can’t afford to be passive at this year’s trade deadline. MLB.com’s Brent Macguire believes they should go all-in to address their two biggest needs, acquiring slugging third baseman Eugenio Suárez and starting pitcher Merrill Kelly from the Arizona Diamondbacks for prospects Kevin Alcántara, Jaxon Wiggins and James Triantos.
“For a Cubs lineup that already has a strong case for the best in baseball, adding Suárez might solidify that argument,” Macguire wrote. “After losing Justin Steele to elbow surgery in April, the Cubs need another playoff-caliber starter, which Kelly certainly qualifies as.”
Though Kelly is exactly the kind of dependable starter the Cubs could use to fill out their rotation, the clear headliner here is Suárez, who leads Major League Baseball with 87 RBI and ranks fifth with 36 home runs. Slotting Suárez in behind Tucker, MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong, and fellow sluggers Michael Busch and Seiya Suzuki would give the Cubs one of the most formidable offensive cores in recent memory.
The cost for these players would not be cheap, of course, as Alcántara and Wiggins both rank inside MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospect list and Triantos hit over .300 with a 10% strikeout rate at Double-A last season. Yet the idea that the Cubs could acquire both Suárez and Kelly without giving up Owen Cassie and Moisés Ballesteros, the crown jewels of the system, is a deal the Cubs would almost certainly be willing to take.
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Category: Baseball
