Matt Johnson
The Chicago Cubs have been one of the best teams in baseball this season, entering MLB games today with 27 wins and multiple double-digit win streaks. It’s come with the club’s pitching staff decimated by injuries, but that could change at the MLB trade deadline.
MLB insider Robert Murray named starting pitchers Robbie Ray (San Francisco Giants), Joe Ryan (MInnesota Twins) and Freddy Peralta (New York Mets) among potential Cubs trade targets this summer.
Peralta popped up in MLB trade rumors this past week when Bruce Levine reported that the Cubs had talked to the Mets about a trade for the All-Star pitcher. However, that report has since been walked back, with New York giving no indication that it’s willing to trade Peralta right now.
Chicago is still in desperate need of starting pitching. While Matthew Boyd (meniscus surgery) might only be sidelined for a month, Cade Horton underwent season-ending elbow surgery in April and fellow starter Justin Steele now faces an uncertain timeline to return following a setback with his recovery from elbow surgery.
Entering play on May 12, the Cubs’ rotation ranked seventh in ERA (3.77), sixth in WHIP (1.17), and ninth in quality starts (15). Since April 26, however, Chicago’s rotation WHIP is ranked 16th (1.26) and 12th in ERA (3.71), with depth becoming an increasingly bigger issue.
Evaluating Cubs’ Potential Trade Targets
Robbie Ray and Freddy Peralta seem like the most realistic trade targets for Chicago. Both are on expiring contracts, reducing the potential acquisition cost for either starter and increasing the likelihood that either San Francisco or New York is willing to make a move.
Ray, who is making $25 million this season, has outperformed Peralta this season. The 6-foot-2 southpaw has registered a 2.76 ERA with a 1.09 WHIP across 45.2 innings pitched, striking out 26.1 percent of batters faced with a .198 batting average allowed.
Peralta, who is owed just $8 million this season, hasn’t been quite as effective in his first season with New York. While he has a solid 3.12 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP across 43.1 innings pitched, it comes with a career-low 23.2 percent strikeout rate.
Given the setup of the Cubs’ infield, Peralta might be the better option. The 29-year-old righty ranks 36th in groundball rate (43.7 percent) among starting pitchers, whereas Ray ranks 74th (27.4 percent).
