This bold Cubs trade idea is either genius or a total disaster

By most accounts, it seems that the Chicago Cubs' trade talks with the Pittsburgh Pirates have cooled down. It doesn't seem that Pirates' veteran starter Mitch Keller is at the top of the Cubs' wish list ahead of the MLB trade deadline, and Ke'Bryan Hayes doesn't make much sense for the team at third base. That hasn't stopped Jim Bowden of The Athletic from proposing a wild trade idea involving both teams.

The good news is that with the deadline less than a week away, we are pretty close to not having to sift through Bowden's wild trade ideas until the offseason.

While the Cubs are believed to be willing to include Caissie in a deal for a cost-controlled starting pitcher under contract beyond this season, it's hard to imagine they would do so for Keller. While Keller is under contract until 2029, he projects to be more of a middle-of-the-rotation starting pitcher as opposed to a frontline starting pitcher. Add in the fact that Bowden also has the Cubs including Christian Hernandez in the deal, and there's no scenario where Jed Hoyer makes this deal if Keller is the only player he is getting in return.

MLB insider’s wild Cubs trade pitch could light up the NL Central

Caissie and Hernandez is how the trade package would start if the Cubs were targeting MacKenzie Gore of the Washington Nationals or Joe Ryan of the Minnesota Twins. Each of those All-Star pitchers is under contract beyond this season and trending toward being a true top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher. Those are each instances where the Cubs should be willing to include any prospect they can to land a pitcher who can transform their rotation.

In Keller's case, the hope would be that the Cubs' pitching infrastructure can unlock a level of production that hasn't exactly been there with the Pirates

If the Pirates included closer David Bednar in the deal, then that feels like a move that would have Caissie involved. Otherwise, it doesn't feel like the Pirates and Cubs are strong trade partners with the other options that are currently on the table.

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