The Chicago Cubs are sitting at a solid 40-26 and currently leading the NL Central by four games. But even with that lead, things haven’t been looking as sharp lately, and a big reason is the starting pitching.
The Cubs got off to a hot start this season, but as the offence has cooled down, the cracks in the rotation have become more obvious. If they want to be serious contenders in October, they need to strengthen that part of the roster.
While many have speculated that the Cubs might go after Sandy Alcantara, the former Cy Young winner from the Miami Marlins, there’s a catch: Alcantara hasn’t been pitching well this season.
Instead, there’s another name from Miami who’s starting to grab attention: Edward Cabrera.
Cabrera, 27, has been quietly improving. He’s got a 2-2 record with a 3.99 ERA in 10 starts so far this season. But here’s the key stat: over his last six starts since May began, he’s posted an impressive 2.03 ERA, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.
He’s also very affordable, making just $1.95 million this year and still under team control through arbitration for three more seasons. That makes him very attractive for teams looking for long-term value.
Of course, the Cubs have the talent to make this happen. Their farm system is one of the strongest in baseball, so they’ve got the prospects to offer. But since Cabrera’s value is rising fast, he may cost even more in a trade than Alcantara right now.
Still, if the Cubs want to go deep into the postseason, getting a reliable arm like Cabrera’s into their rotation could make all the difference.
