Chicago Cubs Rumors: German Marquez cannot be the team’s big trade

Chicago Cubs Rumors: German Marquez just doesn’t have what’s missing

Don’t get me wrong. The Chicago Cubs would be well served in going out and acquiring someone like Marquez, who comes with multiple years of control and is a solid middle-of-the-rotation presence. But that can’t be the big move the front office makes in hopes of remedying the gaping hole left by the Darvish trade last winter.

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Because Marquez just isn’t that guy.

Even if you do what people like to do when looking at Rockies pitchers and separate his home and road splits to eliminate the impact of hitter-friendly Coors Field, you can’t tell me this guy is someone you turn to with a series or season on the line.

Away from the Mile High City, Marquez is the owner of a respectable 3.67 ERA and 1.171 WHIP this season. While those numbers might stand out (especially given who he’d be alongside in a pretty shoddy Cubs rotation), they’re hardly the stuff of an ace.

According to his Baseball Savant page, Marquez’s pitches all have below-average movement, both horizontally and vertically, with the exception of his slider. He ranks near the bottom of the league in walk rate and, really, is, again, a middle-of-the-road type guy by most measures. That’s not to take anything away from the guy – it’s just a fact.

Chicago Cubs Rumors: MLB.com thinks Marquez and the Cubs could be a fit

In his latest, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com took a look at nine players across the league whose stock is rising and could be dealt ahead of the July 30 trade deadline. Of course, Marquez was among the players on that list.

The Rockies have already received calls on both Márquez and Jon Gray, and while it’s far from certain that they’ll deal either of the starting pitchers, Márquez is certainly seeing his value appreciate in recent weeks. The right-hander has gone 2-2 with a 3.19 ERA over his past five starts, posting superb outings against both the Mets and Athletics. Márquez is in the third year of a five-year, $43 million contract that runs through 2023, though the Rockies hold a $16 million club option for ’24, as well.

Marquez is just one of two pitchers included here – the other being a far more enticing arm in the form of Minnesota Twins righty Jose Berrios, who happens to be Javier Baez’s brother-in-law. The Twins haven’t gone to Berrios recently with any sort of extension and he’s been hot of late. If Minnesota doesn’t turn it up in a hurry, this guy could be a perfect target for Chicago.

At this point, you can’t just go out and get one arm. You need at least two starting pitchers – and one of them needs to be a top-of-the-rotation guy. The staff hasn’t given the bullpen any help and, so far, relievers have picked up the slack. But I’m not sure it’ll last if we don’t start getting more length and seeing more dominance from the rotation. German Marquez can check one of those boxes, but probably not both.