Chicago Cubs predicted to trade for All-Star starting pitcher

The Chicago Cubs could face the gargantuan task this offseason of replacing their entire end-of-season starting rotation.

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Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes, and David Peterson could all be moving on via free agency. Meanwhile, starting rotation possibilities Justin Steele, Ben Brown, Edward Cabrera, and Cade Horton are buried amid injury and/or performance-related doubts.

With no real pitching help at the highest level of their farm system, Chicago will have to look outside their organization for starting pitchers. Most likely, they’ll have to dip into the free agent market as well as make a bold trade or two.

One article suggests that the Cubs could revisit trade chatter with the Seattle Mariners to make a position player-for-pitcher swap that would do both contending teams well. The Mariners have a surplus of quality pitching and a need for infielders while the Cubs have a need for pitching and at least one or two notable infield assets currently without a full-time position.

A deal with the Seattle Mariners?

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Specifically, Chicago could trade away either Matt Shaw or Pedro Ramirez to the Mariners.

Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report suggests that Seattle’s George Kirby would be the most likely target:

“Given their previous interest in Kirby, this is where the Cubs could come in. They stand to lose basically an entire rotation’s worth of starters to free agency, including Kevin Gausman, Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga. They should look to re-sign some guys, but bringing in fresh blood via trade is likewise a good idea.

A Kirby-for-Matt Shaw trade works on paper, even if it would require the Cubs to backfill Shaw’s spot. To that end, re-signing Ian Happ and/or Seiya Suzuki would do the trick.”

The 28-year-old Kirby was 9-11 with a 4.33 ERA last season and his status as a top starting pitcher has lessened over the last couple years. However, he’s still a legitimate middle-of-rotation talent with front-of-rotation upside. He’s also under contract through the 2028 season.

Questions and doubts

Jordan Campbell of Cubbies Crib, however, rates Kirby as a bit of a project, similar to the upside-attractive Edward Cabrera last offseason:

“Kirby would be somewhat of a project, and the concern is that the Cubs’ last project, Edward Cabrera, hasn’t exactly worked out so far, so the fear is in the unknown. It’s also possible that the Cubs only trade Shaw for more expectation at the top of the rotation, but this is the type of creativity that will be needed this offseason. No stone should be left unturned in the Cubs’ search for pitching.”

Chicago was expected to pursue controllable arms at the trade deadline this past season, but only managed to acquire starter/swingman Braxton Garrett from the Miami Marlins and reliever Ryan Zeferjhan. Taking a stab at acquiring Kirby would fit into the team’s needs for starting pitching this coming season and beyond.

Chicago would have to sweeten any such deal to possibly include a top prospect along with Shaw, but pitching needs to be a major focus of this Cubs team if they’re serious about challenging for a championship during their window of opportunity.

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