Rumored Cubs deadline target hits the IL with an injury that could end his season

It's rarely advisable to throw stones in a glass house, but Cubs fans may be in position to do just that following the latest injury report out of Sacramento.

As the team deals with the fallout of the Michael Soroka injury — and subsequent depth issues caused by the front office's inactivity at the trade deadline — one long rumored trade target of the Cubs has gone down with an injury of his own.

Veteran right-hander Luis Severino is heading to the 15-day injured list with an oblique strain, an injury the Cubs have become all too familiar with this year. The severity of the strain is not yet known, but if it's more severe than a Grade 1 strain, the injury is likely to keep Severino out for the remainder of the season.

Luis Severino's oblique injury doesn't let Cubs' front office off the hook

It was back in June that Matt Trueblood of North Side Baseball connected the Cubs to Severino (among other Athletics players). He acknowledged at the time that the A's Opening Day starter was never the most likely target for the Cubs, though he did stand to benefit from a change of scenery with an actually competitive team.

Severino, 31, is currently in the first year of a three-year, $67 million pact. The deal is far richer than most handed out by the Athletics, though it was reportedly signed as part of an ongoing effort to keep the MLBPA from filing a grievance against the franchise's penny pinching ways.

After resurrecting his career with the Mets in 2024 (3.91 ERA in 182 innings), Severino has slid back into mediocrity this season, logging a 4.82 ERA (4.09 FIP) in 136 1/3 frames. His strikeout rate has gotten worse, his WHIP has climbed, and he's allowing more hard hit baseballs. By just about every account, he isn't quite living up to his deal.

With news of his oblique injury now putting the remainder of his campaign in jeopardy, we can confidently congratulate Jed Hoyer, Carter Hawkins and company on their decision to pass on acquiring the overpaid Severino.

What we can't do, however, is celebrate the current state of the starting pitching staff. Even with Javier Assad and Jameson Taillon nearing their respective returns to the rotation, Soroka's injury has suppressed any positive vibes coming from the team's trade deadline "haul".

In the case of Severino, sometimes the best decisions are the moves a team doesn't make. In the case of Soroka and the state of the Cubs' ro, sometimes the best decision is to actually be aggressive and try to win.