3 Chicago Cubs pitchers that the New York Mets may be interested in

Former Chicago Cubs pitcher Jose Quintana is expected to be out until July after undergoing bone graft surgery on his rib. After enjoying a bounce-back season with the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals last season, Quintana signed a two-year deal worth $26MM with the New York Mets this offseason.

For the Mets, the team may be in the market for a starting pitcher. The Mets' starting rotation consists of Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Carlos Carrasco, and Kodai Senga. While the Mets do have capable replacements for Quintana in-house with options such as David Peterson or Tylor Megill, there is no question that the team may want to add another arm in the event of an injury.

For the Cubs, the team has spent this offseason stockpiling arms that are capable of being in a Major League Starting rotation. Adrian Sampson, Roenis Elias, Javier Assad, Hayden Wesneski, Caleb Killian, Keegan Thompson, and Adbert Alzolay are among the arms that the Cubs have that have had starting experience at the Major League level.

Wesneski, Thompson, and Killian likely aren't candidates to be moved given the idea that the Cubs' long-term pitching staff is. It is also important to remember that starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks is expected to be back in the rotation around May.

Assuming Hendricks returns and is healthy, the Cubs are going to have some difficult decisions in regard to their pitching staff. Wesneski seems likely to be the team's fifth starter to open the season and that may make Sampson available in a trade. Sampson is among the pitchers that the Mets could express interest in if they are seeking pitching depth in light of the Quintana injury.