Cubs Rumors: Team interested in Nicholas Castellanos, Shane Greene

Cubs Rumors: Greene would push Tigers’ asking price much higher

Picking up a guy like Castellanos would cost the Cubs, to be sure. But Theo Epstein would have several things working in his favor in such a deal – namely that Castellanos is a rental – not a long-term asset.

But if Kaplan’s report is accurate and Chicago is, indeed, looking at Greene, as well, the entire dynamic of the deal changes in a big way. The right-hander is under team control through next season, as well – and could provide some stability for a club that could lose the likes of Steve Cishek, Brandon Kintzler, Brandon Morrow, Pedro Strop, Brad Brach and others to free agency.

On the year, Greene has 22 saves for the rebuilding Tigers – and has been about as close to a sure thing as possible out of the pen. He’s pitched to a career-best 1.25 ERA – although his 3.80 FIP suggests he might be bound for some regression. Still, his 0.861 WHIP, 5 H/9 and 10 SO/9 are nothing to shake your head at.

Given Strop’s major struggles this season and the fact you can’t expect to see Morrow ever take the mound again without fear of another injury, Greene could conceivably slot into the setup role ahead of Kimbrel – giving the Cubs a fearsome eighth and ninth-inning duo heading into the final months of the season.

The margin for error in the National League Central is thin – but if the Cubs want a deal for both of these guys, there’s going to be a long-term cost that some fans might not find to be all that palatable.