Chicago Cubs: 3 Non-starters to look at ahead of the trade deadline

The Chicago Cubs currently sit atop a jampacked NL Central and seemed well-positioned to be playing baseball in October. The Achilles heel of the team has certainly been their lackluster rotation, which has been reiterated to exhaustion and it should certainly be the Cubs’ primary focus at the deadline. However, the Cubs are not a perfect team outside of their rotation, and they should look at other positions of need as well.

Kris Bryant has taken a step back offensively as of late which makes it seem as though the infield may be a target for the Cubs at the deadline, but with Matt Duffy set to return relatively soon, along with Bote and Hoerner getting back into the mix soon, it’s probably not as big of an issue in the front offices’ eyes. Throw in Patrick Wisdom and Sergio Alcantara’s production since being called up, and the Cubs may soon have a log jam to sort out on the infield.

The lineup is not without its problems, however. Though many such as myself have grown to love Jason Heyward over his years on the northside, he has struggled immensely this season. If the Cubs want to make a run in October, the outfield needs to be something they address, along with other minor touch-ups to the roster.

Chicago Cubs: Michael Fulmer could be another bullpen weapon

Once upon a time, Michael Fulmer was the hottest trade chip on the market. In 2017 Fulmer was coming off a Rookie of the Year campaign in 2016 and was having another great season in the Detroit rotation and teams were offering ridiculous packages that would be inconceivable today to try and pry him away from the Tigers.

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The Chicago Cubs were one such team, offering Javier Baez to Detroit in an attempt to get Fulmer in Chicago. Luckily, the Tigers refused and after regressing hard in the years after, Fulmer now has been put in the bullpen where he has experienced a career rebirth.

Jed Hoyer was a part of the front office that tried to get Fulmer to Chicago, so there’s likely still to be some interest there. Fulmer has been one of the several closers the Tigers have used this season and he has excelled in the role. Since being moved to the bullpen early in the year, Fulmer’s SO/9 has jumped to 11.1 and he’s walked just five batters in 24 1/3 innings out of the pen. He also has an ERA of just 2.96 and his advanced metrics have been pretty good as well.

Obviously, the bullpen has not been an issue for the Cubs, but why not make your strength almost impossible to beat? Replacing someone like Dillon Maples with Michael Fulmer gives you an extra higher leverage arm as opposed to someone you’d only use when a game is out of reach. Fulmer would make the Cubs bullpen a monster of a challenge to score off of, and he probably won’t cost much to get.

Chicago Cubs lineup has been good, but Mitch Haniger could make it even better.

While the most obvious power-hitting option in the outfield is certainly Joey Gallo, the price to acquire him is likely a bit above what the Cubs are willing to give up. Mitch Haniger, on the other hand, could be someone that intrigues the team. Haniger is still likely to cost a pretty penny to acquire, but given the state of the team’s current lineup, he could provide some much-needed power to the mix.

Haniger is currently slashing .259/.308/.506 with an OPS of .814. He doesn’t get on base a whole ton, but the power he could bring to the lineup would be a very welcome addition considering the season Heyward has had. The only issue is that Heyward would likely never start, and would essentially be a very highly paid defensive replacement, but that shouldn’t stop them from going out and getting Haniger.

The Cubs’ priorities in the trade market should be on the rotation, but that shouldn’t stop them from making improvements on the rest of the roster. This could be the last real shot the team has at competing for a title, and they should go all-in on this group. The foundation is in place for them to be real contenders, now the front office has to get the right pieces in place to make a run.