A surprising name surfaces in the latest Chicago Cubs trade rumor

The expectation is that if the Chicago Cubs do buy at the Major League Baseball Trade Deadline next month, the team will be in the market for improvements to their bullpen and adding an impact bat to their starting lineup.

The bullpen's struggles and the offense's inability to score runs are one of the main reasons why there is even a question about whether the Cubs should buy at the deadline. If not for their starting pitching, the Cubs would likely be viewed as sellers.

That is why the latest rumor from Chicago sports radio personality, George Ofman, is somewhat surprising.

The Cubs looking to bolster their starting rotation at the trade deadline is not a move many Cubs fans could have predicted. However, the old adage in Major League Baseball is that you can never have enough starting pitching.

But looking beyond baseball ideologies, there is some sense in the Cubs wanting to add a starting pitcher at the deadline. Shota Imanaga has shown signs of regression, and Javier Assad has come back down to earn after a stellar start in the Cubs' rotation. Combine the possible regression with injuries to Ben Brown and Jordan Wicks, and the Cubs certainly could be in the mix to add a starting pitcher at the deadline.

The Cubs may turn to a familiar face at the MLB Trade Deadline.

Cubs fans are familiar with Flaherty given that he spent his first seven seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals before being traded to the Baltimore Orioles at the trade deadline last season. Flaherty signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Tigers this offseason and has been brilliant this season, posting a 2.92 ERA (2.69 FIP) through 14 starts this season.

The idea behind acquiring Flaherty, for the Cubs, may be that they add a starting pitcher capable of reaching the seventh, lessening the burden on a bullpen that struggles finding high-leverage relievers. It's also possible that adding a pitcher like Flaherty pushes Assad to the bullpen as a way to add more out-getters for Counsell at the end of games.