The Chicago Cubs have been very inconsistent this season. They have had two 10-game winning streaks but also suffered through a 10-game losing streak. They still are over the .500 mark, but sit in fourth place in the National League Central.
Their starting rotation needs a little bit of work. Cade Horton is out for the season while Justin Steele had a setback in his recovery. Matthew Boyd has also missed a lot of time. The trade deadline comes on August 3, and that will be a good time for Chicago to potentially upgrade its rotation.
Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report has an interesting idea. He listed a few outlandish mock trades, and one of them would solve the Cubs problem by trading for Kansas City Royals right-handers Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha.
“Both Lugo and Wacha are signed through 2027 with club options for 2028 and aren’t cheap or getting any younger. The Royals could trim about $12M from their 2026 payroll and $40M from next season’s allocations if they were to trade these veteran arms away,” Miller wrote.
“Meanwhile, the Cubs are surely looking for multi-year solutions to their rotation. Both Shota Imanaga and Jameson Taillon are headed for free agency (and not pitching well this season anyway). Cade Horton is likely to miss most, if not all of next season while recovering from UCL surgery.”
Cubs Need Starting Pitching Badly
This hypothetical trade could potentially flip the ultra-competitive NL Central on its head. The Cubs are short on starters right now, but with a few pitchers likely to reach free agency, it makes sense to have starters under contract for 2027 and beyond.
The North Siders are one of four teams with a winning record within the division, and while they are 7 1/2 games back of first place, there is plenty of time left to make up ground, and they could certainly benefit from having Wacha and Lugo.
Both pitchers are veterans that can be trusted in big games and who have pitched in the postseason before, so the Cubs could feel comfortable with either one starting a playoff game.
But this could potentially allow them to at least trim the deficit in the NL Central. The Milwaukee Brewers have command in the division right now, but the Cubs were picked by many to win the division.
With the right moves to bolster their pitching staff, the North Siders could find themselves at the top by the end of the season.
How Realistic is it?
Ultimately, this trade doesn’t seem terribly realistic. The Royals were in the postseason just two years ago and still finished over .500 in 2025. They have Lugo and Wacha under club control for several more years, so it doesn’t exactly make sense to trade them away unless they want to initiate a complete rebuild.
If they want to bounce back into contention in 2027, it makes sense to hold onto their two starters and instead look to trade players that are on expiring contracts that contending teams may show interest in at the deadline.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Cubs Blockbuster Trade Proposal Lands Two Arms from Royals appeared first on HEAVY.