Cubs “Aggressively” Shopping Tom Gorzelanny

When the Winter Meetings began, Jim Hendry told reporters that a lot of teams are looking to trade strength for strength. As of now, the Cubs strength is obviously their starting pitching. With the Cubs looking for a starting pitcher, could they trade one of their own starters for another one, who they may like better. It appears that may be what the Cubs are doing, as Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette is reporting that the Cubs are aggressively shopping starting pitcher Tom Gorzelanny.

To be honest, I am not surprised by the news of the Cubs looking to trade Gorzelanny. Because, like I mentioned a couple times in my recent posts, the Chicago Cubs have a wealth of starting pitchers. With young arms like Andrew Cashner, Chris Archer, and Jay Jackson looking to compete for a rotation spot over the next couple of years, Tom Gorzelanny may be the odd man out.  Considering that the Cubs admitted during the season that they do not like Gorzelanny as a reliever, he may not be a fit with the team next season.

Gorzelanny appeared in 29 games for the Cubs, starting in 23 of them, and had a record of 7-9 with an ERA of 4.09. The Cubs are picking a good time to deal Gorzelanny, if they are in fact looking to trade him. Because, many around baseball feel that Gorzelanny is starting to reach his potential.

Despite the Cubs reportedly trying to trade Gorzelanny, they still would like to add another starter. By trading away Gorzelanny, the Cubs would be opening a spot up for Andrew Cashner. At this point, the Cubs are leaning towards transitioning Cashner from the bullpen to the starting rotation. Even with Cashner in the rotation, the Cubs still have one opening left in the rotation. That slot could be filled by Brandon Webb, who the Cubs are meeting with for the second time at the Winter Meetings this afternoon.