David Peterson's contract status won't fix one looming Cubs problem

There's nothing like beating a team so badly they become a mid-series trade partner, right? OK, that's not exactly what happened this week, but, regardless, the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets hooked up on a deal late Wednesday night that brings left-hander and former All-Star David Peterson to the North Side.

Things went from bad to utterly desperate for Jed Hoyer and the front office this week as we saw an already-shorthanded rotation lose two more pieces, Edward Cabrera and Ben Brown, in a 24-hour span, leaving the Cubs with four starters and a whole lot of questions. Now, Peterson can plug a hole, at least in the short-term, helping clarify the team's rotation outlook as it attempts to weather the latest wave of injuries.

Peterson will likely start this weekend against Milwaukee, having last pitched on Sunday, tossing four innings in a loss to the Phillies. So the Cubs have their rubber patch applied to the hole in the raft, but this isn't a move that brings any sort of clarity beyond this season.

Trade could give David Peterson and the Cubs the best of both worlds

The former first-round pick will hit free agency at season's end, earning $8.1 million in his final season of arbitration eligibility. Chicago is on the hook for roughly half that amount and they'll hope to get more out of Peterson than the Mets have so far this year (-1.0 bWAR, 6.09 ERA, 1.647 WHIP) - and there's reason to believe they might do just that.

Peterson is a big-time ground ball pitcher and, well, we all saw the Mets' defensive showing in Wednesday's night cap: a six-error performance that speaks to the team's struggles in the field this year. With one of the league's best groups behind him, the southpaw could quickly regain the form that made him an All-Star just last year, while stabilizing a Cubs' rotation that desperately needs answers.

If that's how it plays out, who knows, maybe the two sides will reunite this offseason. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Right now, the focus is on the next few months. Hey, at least getting to his new team will be simple. Peterson just has to head to the visitor's clubhouse at Citi Field for Thursday's series finale and then hop on the Cubs' flight to Milwaukee afterwards.

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