Fading Giants may hand Cubs perfect pitching fix sooner than anyone expected

Even with the Chicago Cubs getting good news on Matthew Boyd's surgery, it goes without saying that pitching will be a priority at the MLB trade deadline later this summer. If the Cubs had their wish, they likely would prefer to address that need much sooner than the deadline on August 3.

The problem is that parity has settled in across baseball. Entering the weekend, of the teams not leading their division, all are within seven games of the final Wild Card spot in each league. Specifically, in the American League, no team is more than four games back.

As was the case last summer, teams may not be eager to identify themselves as sellers if they feel there's a path available for contention. Combining that reality with the asking price that sellers had for top-of-the-rotation arms last summer, it's why the Cubs were backed into a trade for Michael Soroka.

With the Cubs appearing to be a true World Series contender this season, and having several prospects who appear to be blocked, there shouldn't be an asking price this summer that Jed Hoyer and Co. are unwilling to meet. The problem becomes identifying the right team that could be ready to make a deal instead of waiting until the trade deadline.

Giants could be the early trade lifeline the Cubs are looking for

The San Francisco Giants could be that team. The Giants have lost eight of their last ten games and share a division with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. San Francisco is looking at a six-game deficit in the Wild Card race, and if they don't turn their season around soon, they could be looking to make an early trade.

The Athletic's Jim Bowden (subscription required) ran through a list of starting pitchers who could be available at the deadline, and it should be a familiar list to Cubs fans. Joe Ryan, Freddy Peralta, Zac Gallen, and Sandy Alcantara are among the pitchers mentioned. Bowden also mentioned Giants starting pitcher Robbie Ray as potentially the first pitcher to be dealt this summer.

If that's the case, Ray may be the ideal candidate for the Cubs. He's in the final year of his deal and owed $23 million. With the Cubs willing to go into the luxury tax this season, they could offer to take the remaining money off the Giants' books. If the Giants are looking for a long-term option at second base, the Cubs also have several infield prospects who could be of interest.

Ray isn't quite the Cy Young pitcher he once was with the Seattle Mariners, but he still would be a worthwhile upgrade for the Cubs' rotation. He sits with an ERA of 2.95 through his first 7 starts of the season, striking out over 25% of the hitters he's faced.

The Giants' asking price for Ray would certainly be lower than the respective prices for Alcantara or Ryan, and the fact that he's a rental does leave the Cubs with plenty of room to operate after this season. Early trades are usually hard to come by, but for the Cubs, the hope is that the Giants could be a needed exception.

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