The Chicago Cubs continued their tear since the All Star break by beating the Chicago White Sox 8-3. Jake Arrieta threw 6.2 innings to give him his tenth win of the season. The Cubs starting brass is 9-0 in their last 12 games with a 2.50 Earned Run Average. The Cubs have not made another move to bolster their rotation or bullpen, but their recent surge in pitching could keep the Cubs from making a move.
Recent success stalls rumors
Two days ago, the Cubs were linked to being interested in Justin Verlander and Alex Avila. The new broke out that the Cubs were still interested because the team would be able to afford Verlander's $28 million salary the next two seasons.
However, due to the Cubs recent success of their starters, and Verlander's subpar pitching performances, it could possibly delay a move.
Jake Arrieta and John Lackey are free agents after the season, so the Cubs were looking for another controllable starter. The Cubs were once linked to Sonny Gray, but his destination seems somewhere in the American League. Yu Darvish has never been linked to the Cubs, and Ervin Santana may or may not leave the Twins.
Seth Lugo next name linked to the Cubs
With the starting pitching market drying up, and the Cubs low starting earned run average, a low-cost player could be in their reach. Lugo is has been linked to the Cubs according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.
Lugo has six quality starts in eight games despite a 4.10 earned run average. He is controllable until the 2022 season, which makes him very attractive to the Cubs. If Lugo were to join the back end of the rotation, the Cubs would have four pitchers through the 2019 season.
Lugo dealt with elbow issues at the beginning of the season, but the Mets are in a rebuilding mode.
The Mets are listening in on offers for other players such as Jay Bruce, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Addison Reed. The Mets have been reported to listen in on offers for Jacob DeGrom, but a deal is unlikely.
Other relief options for Cubs
Zach Britton is still an option for the Cubs. The Baltimore Orioles are unlikely to make the playoffs, but do not want to give up their core pieces to help them contend next season.
Britton dealt with an injury at the beginning of the season, and has five saves on the season. The Cubs do not have very many high-end prospects, but like the idea of having Koji Uehara, Carl Edwards Jr., Wade Davis, and Britton at the end of the bullpen to close out games.
