Chicago Cubs Rumors: Team still focusing on arms as deadline nears

Chicago Cubs Rumors: Team misses out on Brad Ziegler

At one point late Monday, it seemed like the Cubs had found their bullpen depth piece.

But, quickly after that report surfaced, it became clear things weren’t quite as deep as they’d seemed. Ultimately, Miami shipped their 38-year-old right-hander to the Diamondbacks. What made him so attractive? Despite his age, the side-arming hurler has been dominant over the last two months.

Since June 1, Ziegler sports a minuscule 0.93 ERA, outstanding 80.3 percent groundball rate and a 22:11 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Given how overworked the Cubs’ current group of relievers are heading into the dog days of summer, he may have been just the shot in the arm Theo is searching for.

I’d feel pretty confident in saying Arizona is likely to get their money’s worth. They’re intimately familiar with Ziegler, who spent six years in Phoenix, pitching to a 2.49 ERA in 348 appearances for the Diamondbacks.