Theo Says Team Still Open For Business, Cubs Linked To More Pitchers

I mentioned this Friday after the Cole Hamels trade was officially made: the Cubs are probably not done making moves before the trade deadline. Theo Epstein tries to be as transparent as possible and he said the following Friday night regarding the possibility of the Cubs making another trade in the next few days.

They've acquired Jesse Chavez and Cole Hamels from the Texas Rangers and have recently been linked to Miami Marlins relief pitcher Brad Ziegler.  Hamels will make his Cubs' debut Wednesday on the road against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chavez has been nearly perfect since the trade, only allowing four hits and a walk in eight innings, with nine strikeouts. But again, the Cubs do need another pitcher for the bullpen. Closer Brandon Morrow is currently on the DL, with no timetable established for his return and Brian Duensing has been awful for the past three months. Tyler Chatwood has now been bumped to the bullpen and no one, including Joe Maddon, wants to see him come in to pitch in any close game, so this team needs another arm. The latest report connecting the Cubs to relievers once again involves the Rangers. According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, the Cubs are looking at Jake Diekman and Keone Kela. Like Chavez, a trade for Jake Diekman wouldn't cost a prospect of much significance to the Cubs right now. Diekman, 31, will be a free agent after 2018, and the lefty currently has a 3.79 ERA in 38 innings this year. He has 46 strikeouts and 23 walks, while actually being better against right-handed hitters. And like Hamels, the home/road splits are ridiculous.

That didn't include his scoreless inning against the Houston Astros Saturday that lowers the road ERA to 0.45. The 5.59 BB/9 overall is obviously a concern, though on the road they drop a lot. No clue why the walks drastically change so much, but I guess it's another example of how pitchers maybe just feel a lot more comfortable not facing hitters in that joke of a ballpark in Arlington. So, maybe it's another change of scenery thing for Diekman. Plus, he's another hard thrower the Cubs could have in the bullpen, as he hits 95-99 mph with his fastball. Anyway, if the Cubs somehow end up pulling a third trade within two weeks with the Rangers, Keone Kela would be the bigger move. Kela, 25, has 23 saves this year, a 3.28 ERA, striking out 43 batters in 35.2 innings. He's also under team control through 2020, with two more arbitration years left. Will the Cubs be desperate enough to make the bigger move right now? We'll find out by the end of Tuesday. Stay tuned. A third trade with the Rangers in less than two weeks would be pretty crazy though.