For the first time in a while, Cubs fans have reason to be excited about the possibilities the trade deadline might bring.
Will the Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara shrink his 8.47 ERA and make himself a trade target? Or will president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and the front office turn to more surprising sellers in its search for pitching reinforcements?
One thing’s sure after the Cubs moved to 15 games above .500 with a victory Sunday: They will be buyers.
‘‘We’ve got a great group here, and whenever you talk about adding people at the trade deadline, then it means you’re replacing people. So it’s kind of a touchy subject,’’ starting pitcher Jameson Taillon told the Sun-Times on Saturday. ‘‘But it’s always good to put Jed and [general manager] Carter [Hawkins] in that position where they’re looking to add.
‘‘The last two years I’ve been here, it’s been like, ‘What are we going to do?’ This year, let’s put it in their hands, [where they can say]: ‘We’re going to add to this team. We see something special in this group.’ That’s how I look at it: Put them in a position to have a clear direction.’’
Not only is the direction clear, but so is what tops the shopping list.
Injuries have thinned the starting rotation, with Justin Steele (surgery on left elbow) done for the season, Shota Imanaga (strained hamstring) on the injured list and Javier Assad (strained oblique) yet to throw a major-league pitch this season.
If the Cubs are serious about chasing championship-level goals, they’ll be searching for starting pitching come July. But don’t think the idea of an incoming cavalry is an exclusively exciting one to the guys busy trying to keep the starting staff afloat.
‘‘When someone comes into this clubhouse, that means someone has to leave this clubhouse, whether it’s a trade or a call-up or a send-down or anything like that,’’ starting pitcher Matthew Boyd told the Sun-Times on Sunday. ‘‘We’re really grateful for the guys that are here. We’re grateful for the guys that are in this clubhouse, the guys we’ve been battling with and working with since February.’’
Indeed, the arms now starting games for the Cubs have done an admirable job while the top two pitchers in the rotation have been sidelined. With trades for high-profile replacements rare in the opening months of a season, the Cubs have had to rely on internal solutions, and they’ve stepped up.
Boyd has been excellent after signing as a free agent in the offseason. Colin Rea, another winter addition, has been solid since moving from the bullpen to the rotation. Taillon has been dependable even while leading the majors in home runs allowed. Top-rated pitching prospect Cade Horton hasn’t allowed more than three runs in a major-league outing. Only Ben Brown has struggled consistently, and he had his best performance of the season Saturday.
With the exception of Boyd, who has been one of the better qualified starters in the majors, the group perhaps hasn’t dazzled. But despite the Cubs’ starters ranking 19th in the majors with a cumulative 4.02 ERA, they are proud of themselves.
‘‘I think we’ve done a pretty good job,’’ Taillon said. ‘‘Obviously, [it’s] really hard to replace a Justin Steele or a Shota. Even Assad, [who has] been really good for us. So we’re definitely losing some quality arms in the rotation.
‘‘But the cool thing is a lot of these guys have stepped in, and they’re not trying to be Justin Steele or Shota. Cade’s just trying to be Cade. Ben’s trying to be Ben. Colin’s being Colin. And hopefully me and Boyd can provide that stability. When we’re in there, guys can hopefully look at us and say, ‘We’re in the game today.’ ’’
Still, with the first-place Cubs steaming toward October at 37-22, it’s likely — and perhaps necessary — that Hoyer will do something to boost this rotation. Until then and even after, however, these pitchers are fine to keep shouldering the load.
‘‘That situation always comes for teams that are in winning situations,’’ Boyd said. ‘‘But it doesn’t affect what we do. Pluses or subtractions or anything, it doesn’t change what we go do.’’
