3 reasons the Cubs should consider trading for Shane Bieber

3 reasons the Cubs should pull off a Shane Bieber trade: #2 - His stock is as low as it's ever been right now

With all this being said about Bieber's past, he is sort of having a mid-career crisis right now. According to a deep dive into his season by the Athletic, Bieber's velocity is down leading to him not utilizing his fastball as much. This reality is forcing Bieber to change the approach he has been using for the last few years, and implement his cutter on a more regular basis.

These changes are driving up his ERA (3.55) and hard contact rates, while keeping his strikeout numbers lower (just 55 in 80.2 innings). By no means does this make him ineffective pitcher. In fact, I think this is a testament to his competitiveness and mental fortitude to recognize his flaws and adapt.

The Cubs are also positioned better than most teams to deal with a lot of balls in play. This is part of the reason why Stroman is seeing so much success because he knows he can rely on his defense to make plays now that there are several Gold Glove defenders behind him. So Bieber would slot in well and the Cubs may be able to nab him without giving up prized outfield prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong.