Cubs Setting Themselves Up For Potential Huge Trade

The Chicago Cubs currently have Justin Steele, Seiya Suzuki, and Cody Bellinger occupying space on their injured list. The defense has begun the year subpar. The offense is starting to show some inconsistencies. The bullpen is far from reliable. Even with all those qualms, the Cubs sit at 16-9 and just a half-game out of first place.

This is because manager Craig Counsell has reinstated a winning mentality back into the Cubs' locker room. When one man goes down, the next man is expected to step up and fill the void. When someone is struggling, the next guy must be ready to pick him up. So far, that's been the case on the North Side of Chicago.

When Steele left the first game of the year with a heavy limp, the Cubs had to feel gutwrenched. Their ace joined Jameson Taillon on the injured list, and just like that, 40% of the rotation was gone. But nobody panicked. And as more injuries continue to pop up, nobody is panicking. It's on the next man to step up.

Cubs Playing By Committee And It's Working

Shōta Imanaga and Javier Assad continue to anchor this starting rotation as it regains health. Jameson Taillon has returned and is looking great through two starts. As the bullpen fights its woes, Mark Leiter Jr. continues providing lights-out work. Ben Brown and Luke Little are more than alliterations; they provide meaningful innings to this pitching staff. Hayden Wesneski and Keegan Thompson have also joined the Cubs in Chicago to help the bullpen regain focus.

Christopher Morel's defense has improved tremendously over the course of 25 games. Michael Busch has proven his desire and ability to handle being the Cubs' everyday first baseman. After sending hard contact right to defenders, Nico Hoerner is finally finding grass and collecting his hits. Miguel Amaya is quickly forming into the future everyday catcher the Cubs will be thrilled to roster. Mike Tauchman has been everything you could ask for in a reserve role.

Alexander Canario and Pete Crow-Armstrong are now with the team as the Cubs deal with not having Seiya Suzuki and Cody Bellinger. Canario is making hard contact, and PCA launched his first career home run on Thursday.

Everywhere you look, the Cubs are making it happen. This team has yet to be at full strength, and they're playing like a top team in baseball. It's not a stretch to say the Cubs at full strength is a scary thought.

But some pieces on the outside could help the Cubs make a deep run in October. If this season has taught us anything, it's you can never have too much pitching. As the Cubs plan and prepare for a run at greatness, the trade deadline will be a monumental point in the timeline.

Seven years ago, one pitcher was heavily linked to the Cubs in trade talks, but it never happened. If things continue to trend as they are now, this future Hall of Famer might find himself available to run the story back.

Justin Verlander Could Be On Cubs Radar In Trade Season

The Houston Astros sent Justin Verlander to the mound on Thursday to face a Cubs lineup looking to sweep them right out of Chicago. The 41-year-old pitched 4.1 innings of three-hit shutout baseball with seven strikeouts. But at 95 pitches, he had to be pulled. The Astros' bullpen ended up blowing the game, giving Verlander a no-decision.

Verlander finds himself on a team that is supposed to be contending but has now fallen to 7-19 and is dead last in the AL West division. It's still plenty early, and the division is not as strong as many believed. However, the Astros do not show any signs of life through one month of baseball.

We may reach a point where the Astros need to start fielding offers for some of their aging players and expiring contracts in exchange for future talent. Verlander fits both of those profiles, and the Cubs are a team with a surplus of young talent to offer.

Justin Steele will soon return to this rotation. He will join Jameson Taillon, Shōta Imanaga, and Javier Assad as the four horsemen starting games for the Cubs. Kyle Hendricks' ailments are costing the Cubs games, so he is out of the equation for now. The fifth spot is anyone's best guess. Ben Brown has proven more than capable. His value is just so high in the bullpen.

Hypothetically, Verlander could make a lot of sense for a Cubs team needing one more proven starter to add at the deadline. You can never have too much pitching.