Cubs swing trade for former Mets All-Star as injuries force Jed Hoyer's hand

With injuries to Edward Cabrera and Ben Brown, it felt likely that Jed Hoyer would be forced to make an early trade. Circumstances called for it, considering the Cubs had six starting pitchers on the IL. Hoyer didn't waste any time, turning to the New York Mets for rotation lifeline.

Shortly after the Cubs completed their doubleheader sweep of the Mets on Wednesday, the two teams made a trade. The Cubs acquired 2025 All-Star starting David Peterson in exchange for 22-year-old first base prospect Cole Mathis.

While Peterson was an All-Star last year, it was carried by an impressive first half. He posted a 3.06 ERA in 109 innings pitched. Unfortunately, things haven't been the same since. He posted a 6.34 ERA to close out last season, and opened this year with 6.09 ERA and was pushed out of the Mets' rotation.

With Mathis on the cusp of becoming an organizational top 10 prospect for the Cubs, given Peterson's recent struggles, some may view the trade as Hoyer overpaying. They wouldn't be wrong, but again, there's a need to consider the circumstance. Established major league pitching is always going to cost more, and given the nature of their injuries, Hoyer was probably forced overpay to get a deal done now.

Cubs may provide a quick fix for David Peterson

While Peterson has struggled, there's reason to believe he could find some success in the Cubs' rotation. As the Cubs witnessed firsthand on Wednesday night, the Mets' defense leaves a lot to be desired. New York committed six errors in last night's loss. As for what that means for Peterson, it adds needed context for why his FIP is 3.85 on the season. Considering the Cubs' infield defense is widely believed to be among the best in baseball, there's hope that moving forward, Peterson's ERA will be closer to his FIP.

The hope is also driven from the type of pitcher Peterson is. He's a groundball pitcher. Over his last four seasons, Peterson's grounder rate has been over 50% each year. Part of the problem this year for the 30-year-old is that the Mets simply weren't making plays on those grounders. As CHGO's Brendan Miller pointed out, there's reason to believe that won't be a major problem with the Cubs.

Overall, this is the exact type of early trade the Cubs had to make. It did cost a decent prospects, but there's potential upside with Peterson's move to Chicago. He likely won't end the Cubs' search for pitching, but the hope is he can bridge a gap to larger moves just before the trade deadline.

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