Chicago Cubs: Several former Chicago hurlers could be low-cost trade targets

The Chicago Cubs will undoubtedly pursue starting pitching ahead of the July 31 trade deadline. We look at some lesser talked about options for the club.

At a certain point, the usual names connected to the Chicago Cubs start to get a bit repetitive.

Sonny Gray. Chris Archer. Marcus Stroman.

What do all these players have in common? They’re young, controllable and come with a steep price tag in a market dominated by contenders – most of whom are vying for rotation upgrades. With the team 5 1/2 games out of the division lead and 7 1/2 back of a Wild Card spot, unloading the farm for a top-tier arm may not be the wisest course of action.

But a mid-level arm to pick up the slack left by John Lackey and the injuries to Kyle Hendricks and Brett Anderson? That makes a lot of sense – especially if the arms have any remaining control past the end of the season.

Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester have both underperformed and, although Hendricks could be back as early as this weekend, another quality arm would go a long way in shoring up the rotation. Funny enough, several former Cubs hurlers are enjoying solid seasons and could very well be on the move before the end of the month.