Chicago Cubs Rumors: Jacob deGrom would drastically alter this club

Adding Jacob deGrom could take the Chicago Cubs from a favorite in the National League to a legitimate threat to win a second World Series in three years.

With the All-Star Game taking place Tuesday night in Washington, D.C., much will undoubtedly be made of the American League-National League rivalry. More importantly, though, how the best clubs in each league (like the Chicago Cubs) stack up against one another.

And, as happy as I am with how the Cubs finished the first half, the American League, at least right now, looks like the drastically stronger of the two. The Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox look like they’re destined to match up come October. Meanwhile, Chicago leads a weaker National League.

When you look specifically at a team like Houston, their rotation looms large. We’re talking about facing some combination of Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, Dallas Kuechel, Lance McCullers Jr. and Charlie Morton. Whoever didn’t make the rotation in a postseason series would loom large in the pen.

What could the Cubs do to even the field a bit? Trade for a likely Cy Young finalist in the New York Mets’ Jacob deGrom. Such an acquisition surely won’t be easy. Nor will it come cheap. But with the right-hander in-tow, the Cubs match up on paper against any team in the American League.

Chicago Cubs: Examining what he brings to the table

deGrom, a two-time All-Star, has set the bar for National League starters in 2018. He leads the league in ERA+ (228), FIP (2.32) and earned run average (1.68) in 123 1/3 innings of work for a lowly Mets club.

The big right-hander has long been heralded as one of the most promising arms in baseball. But, as we know, Mets hurlers also come with a warning label given their seemingly endless merry-go-round on the disabled list. But, for the most part, deGrom has been consistent.

From 2014 to 2017, he’s averaged 170 innings per season with a 2.98 ERA, 3.07 FIP and 4.15 strikeout-to-walk ratio. This season, he may very well eclipse 200 frames of work for the first time in his career.

And as far as his stuff goes? He’s downright filthy. With New York needing a rebuild, no one will fetch more to jump start such a project than their ace. But, when you look at the Cubs, how you shuffle the pitching staff is more than a little hairy.

Chicago Cubs: Once Darvish returns, Cubs have questions to answer

Right now, the Cubs have the following starting five: Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Jose Quintana, Tyler Chatwood and Mike Montgomery. The ace? Lester. Hendricks and Quintana are yet to pitch up to expectations, while Chatwood increasingly looks like the reincarnation of Edwin Jackson.

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The biggest question mark, though, is the team’s offseason prize, Yu Darvish. He hasn’t pitched in two months and nobody really seems to know what the issue is in his $126 million right arm. For all we know, he’ll be back a couple weeks after the All-Star Break. Or, he won’t throw another pitch this season.

Let’s play hypotheticals

So, for argument’s sake, let’s say the Cubs pulled off a deGrom trade in the next two weeks. Then, in a month, Darvish returns from the disabled list. At least at face value, I’d assume Chatwood and Montgomery head to the bullpen. But, then, you have to consider the financial implications.

The club inked Chatwood to a three-year, $39 million deal this offseason. That’s a lot of money to shell out to a fifth starter – let a lone a long man in the pen. Montgomery would be easier to solve. The Cubs may opt to stick with six starters – or shift him back to the pen, where he’s spent most of his time in Chicago.

All told, it’s a big question mark. No one knows how this would play out. For all we know, Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer may line up a subsequent deal to make something with deGrom work. But they’d risk weakening the team’s pitching depth in doing so – and, in doing nothing, they have a logjam in the starting rotation.