Cubs Rumors: Adbert Alzolay done for year; team talking Elias Diaz trade with Rockies

After dropping back below .500 with a series-opening loss to the Reds on Thursday night, questions continue to surround a Chicago Cubs team that has more or less trodden water. Changes are certainly coming and the front office is ready to add to give the roster a shot in the arm.

Multiple areas on the roster require attention. The bullpen, which has hit some speed bumps along the way, continues to operate short-handed and, if the latest report from David Kaplan is to be believed, a key piece currently on the IL may wind up missing the rest of the season.

On Friday morning's Kap and J. Hood program on ESPN 1000, Kaplan said he's heard Alzolay's season is over - the first such suggestion we've gotten on the injured Cubs closer.

"Alzolay giving you absolutely nothing sucks, but it is what it is. And I'm being told Alzolay is gonna miss the rest of the year. They haven't said that yet, but he was shut down. He's in Arizona. He had a shot. He had imaging done. He's got an issue going on. They're trying to avoid surgery. Could he get back here end of August, September? That's their hope. I'm hearing 'no.' We'll see."

To this point, the Cubs have kept relatively quiet on Alzolay and have come nowhere near suggesting his season is over. He was shut down for additional time, according to a late May update, but if Kaplan is hearing correctly and the right-hander is done for the year, the need to explore external upgrades only intensifies.

Cubs active on the trade market, looking to upgrade behind the plate

According to Kaplan, the Cubs are also reportedly engaged in trade talks with the Colorado Rockies on veteran catcher Elias Diaz, who is in the final year of his contract and is enjoying a breakout performance at the dish.

Diaz, 33, has a .302/.350/.444 slash line on the year, good for a 118 OPS+. That's obviously leaps and bounds more than the Cubs have gotten from Miguel Amaya (51 OPS+) or Yan Gomes (16 OPS+), not to mention their glaring defensive deficiencies.

The Rockies backstop grades out as an elite backstop defensively, so when the bat inevitably comes back to earth a bit, he still represents a major upgrade at the position. It's hard to envision the Cubs waiting until the end of July to make a move here because their tandem has, simply, been that bad.