Cubs: Recurring shoulder issues could sink Wade Miley’s trade value

When Wade Miley has taken the ball for the Chicago Cubs this season, he’s been a steady presence in a rotation that’s been all over the place and racked with injuries. The only problem is he’s pitched just four times over the first two months due to a variety of elbow and shoulder issues.

Miley departed his start on Friday against the Yankees after three scoreless innings after feeling pain in the back of his left shoulder. There’s no timetable for his return, but he’ll see team doctors in Chicago when the team gets back from New York on Monday.

"“I felt something in the back of my shoulder. It’s kind of the same thing I’ve been dealing with,” Miley told MLB.com. “I felt so good the last two weeks. I threw some aggressive bullpens, gone after it. I felt really well."

In the short-term, losing Miley again is a tough blow for a team that also just placed Marcus Stroman on the injured list and has cycled starters on and off the IL constantly this year. But looking at the bigger picture, Chicago needs the left-hander to prove he’s healthy if they have any shot at getting a decent return on him at the trade deadline.

Cubs are counting on a healthy Wade Miley as a trade chip this summer

Miley, who turns 36 in November, is a free agent at year’s end and could make for an intriguing target for postseason hopefuls looking to shore up their starting pitching depth. He carries a 2.84 ERA and 3.29 FIP in his four 2022 starts and has been incredibly effective annually since re-inventing himself back in 2018.

If the Cubs were in the hunt, trading Miley wouldn’t be the slam-dunk it is currently. But this team isn’t going to be playing come October and if they can add a piece or two to the prospect depth in trading an aging veteran, that’s the only logical move.

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For now, we’ll wait and see what news we get on Miley. Hopefully, if he requires an IL stint, it’s a short one and he can string together a run of starts to put minds at ease and allow the Cubs to capitalize on him before the August trade deadline.