Former Cubs trade deadline prize included In Phillies' swiping of Luis Arraez from Giants

The trade activity got off to racing start on Monday morning, considering the Toronto Blue Jays made a surprise trade for rumored Chicago Cubs' target Jose Soriano, and the Philadelphia Phillies bolstered their offense in a trade for Luis Arraez of the San Francisco Giants. Included in that deal between the Phillies and Giants was former Chicago Cubs pitcher Caleb Kilian.

Kilian, of course, was the deadline prize for the Cubs in 2021 as part of the Kris Bryant trade with the Giants. The hope was that Kilian would turn into a staple in the Cubs' rotation for years to come, but it quickly turned into wishful thinking that the former top pitching prospect could simply find a home in the team's bullpen.

It was never a matter of stuff for Kilian, as he had the breaking pitch to get hitters out, it was a matter of command. In tick over 27 innings of work across three seasons with the Cubs, Kilian walked 20 batters. His final two years with the Cubs was spent battling injuries before a return to the Giants last offseason.

Ironically, Caleb Kilian is the exact type of reliever the Cubs need at the trade deadline

As it turns out, this season, Kilian has turned himself into a high-leverage option out of the bullpen. His fastball has been sitting in the upper-90s while striking out over 27% of the hitters he's facing. There's been improvements with the command, walking just over 10% of the hitters he's faced. It's why the underlying metrics, 3.33 xERA and 3.59 FIP, are pacing his ERA of 4.26.

Kilian's success with the Giants this season is the exact thing the Cubs are looking for. After the trade for Kevin Gausman, it's possible that the Cubs still find a controllable starting pitcher, but it's more likely they add a high-leverage bullpen arm capable of missing bats. In an alternate universe, Kilian would have been an ideal trade fit for the Cubs, but that's likely a well the front office didn't want to visit.

There's still plenty of relief pitchers expected to be moved before Monday night, and likely some that haven't even been mentioned in rumors. If the Cubs aim high, Luke Weaver of the New York Mets and Jeff Hoffman of the Blue Jays are clear targets. Otherwise, the move will probably be similar to their Andrew Kittredge trade last summer.

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