The Chicago Cubs are first in the NL Central, but they shouldn’t get too comfortable.
It looked like Chicago was going to run away with the division, but the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers have pulled within five games of the Cubs after catching fire in May.
The Cubs can’t afford to be complacent with the Cardinals and Brewers looming. Any weaknesses Chicago has should be addressed ahead of the MLB trade deadline.
No changes need to be made to the offense, which ranks top five in virtually every offensive category, but the same can’t be said for the pitching staff.
Injuries have taken their toll on Chicago’s starting rotation. Justin Steele underwent season-ending surgery in April, and Shota Imanaga hasn’t pitched since May 4 due to a hamstring injury.
While Imanaga will eventually return to his role atop the rotation, losing Steele leaves a major hole that the Cubs need to fill if they want to make it out of the gauntlet that is the National League.
MLB insider Jeff Passan released his trade deadline preview on Tuesday, and the pitcher he had Chicago going after is Sandy Alcantara of the Miami Marlins.
Alcantara has a strong track record, having won the 2022 Cy Young Award, and the Marlins, who are 23-35, are destined to be sellers at the deadline.
While Alcantara has put up astonishingly bad numbers this season, including an 8.74 ERA and -1.5 WAR, his struggles can be partly attributed to rust after missing all of last season due to Tommy John surgery.
The numbers are alarming, but they could also be a blessing in disguise for the Cubs.
Before the season started, it would have cost multiple prospects for a team to land the two-time All-Star, but that is most likely no longer the case.
The cost for Alcantara has never been lower, and he could benefit from a change of scenery after toiling away on a perennial losing team like the Marlins.
What separates Alcantara from other starters is his ability to go all nine innings. Alcantara has led the majors in complete games and shutouts three times.
