3 buy-low starters the Chicago Cubs could acquire at the deadline

Chicago Cubs could grab an overperformer from an underperforming AL team

The Minnesota Twins have been one of the biggest surprises in baseball for all the wrong reasons. A team that was expected by many to win the AL Central has been a fourth-place team for most of the season and it could lead to a minor selloff at the deadline if their struggles continue. Should that happen, the Chicago Cubs should look to bring Michael Pineda into the fold.

Pineda has put together a fantastic 2021 thus far. The righty has a 2.62 ERA with a WHIP of just 0.985. Pineda also has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.92 and is averaging 5.58 innings per start this year. He would be a big upgrade over both Williams and Arrieta and would be relatively cheap to acquire as he is in the last year of his current deal and Minnesota would likely have to throw in cash to get rid of him

The drawback to Pineda however, is that he’s overperforming. Pineda has very little spin on his pitches, and when he gets hit, he gets hit pretty hard according to Baseball Savant. Teams have been able to barrel the veteran at a consistent rate, so some regression should be expected.

Still, assuming Pineda doesn’t regress too hard, and given the cost shouldn’t be too steep, he should be on the Cubs’ radar.