Chicago Cubs Rumors: External solutions mentioned for bullpen woes

Jed Hoyer did not shy away from the idea that the Chicago Cubs may be ready make a trade in an effort to address their bullpen woes as he confirmed that he has had some form of discussions with the Miami Marlins.

The Marlins seemingly kicked off their trading last season when they moved Luis Arraez to the San Diego Padres and it was taken a step further when a local report confirmed that the Cubs may have an eye on reliever Tanner Scott.

Still, it seems that the Cubs' current focus is on getting healthy. This past week saw the return of Justin Steele to the Cubs' rotation and once Kyle Hendricks, Julian Merryweather, and Jordan Wicks, the North Siders will have their first look at a healthy pitching staff.

Regardless, bullpen help will be a focus of the Cubs ahead of the Major League Baseball Trade Deadline in July. Bruce Levine of 670 The Score reports that the Cubs are already scouring over the trade market in an effort to find help for their bullpen.

Even so, Hoyer will remain on the phone lines. Beyond the Marlins, the White Sox and Rockies are two other teams that could be willing to make deals sooner than usual. That’s because those three teams are the three worst in MLB, with winning percentages hovering between .243 and .263 as of Friday morning.

The names that Levine mentioned specifically are Scott, Michael Koech of the White Sox, and David Bednar of the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was last season at the trade deadline that Levine also linked the Cubs to Bednar.

The Cubs have the prospect capital to make a trade for an impact-reliever at this point in the season. Sure, such a trade would cost more in prospect capital in May than waiting until July but it's a luxury that the Cubs can afford given how they've built up their farm system.