It might be too little too late for the Chicago Cubs in their pursuit of Pittsburgh Pirates standout pitcher, Mitch Keller. The Cubs have been long rumored for the righty as their pitching staff took a hit with injuries to Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon and more. The Cubs are one of the top teams in the National League and can’t afford to be complacent at the trade deadline.
Yet, the fact that they aren’t aggressively going after Keller, who’s gaining more attention with each hour, means they’ll regret not going after him. Especially if the AL-leading Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees or even the New York Mets land Keller. Each of those teams need rotation help and the Cubs letting Keller slip away means they’ll have to face their bad decision head on.
If Mitch Keller isn’t a priority for the Chicago Cubs, then who is?
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that apparently, while Keller is the obvious choice for the Cubs to improve their rotation, they are far from the only team interested in him. The Cubs have their priorities all mixed up in an important trade deadline for them, and by not making this move sooner, it could cost them.
According to The Athletic, the Cubs are looking elsewhere for help in their bullpen. Apparently Eugenio Suarez is a big priority, which is understandable as he’s having a phenomenal season. But when it comes to addressing their pitching staff, the Cubs could potentially turn to Charlie Morton from the Baltimore Orioles.
While it’s likely Morton lands with a new team before July 31, the Cubs probably shouldn’t bank on him to save them in the postseason. Though The Athletic hinted that Morton and Washington Nationals closer, Kyle Finnegan, would be options, are they better bet than going all in on Keller?
Cubs backup plans if they whiff on Keller aren't good enough
This season, Morton has a 5.58 ERA with a 1.56 WHIP. While he almost had 100 strikeouts, Keller is probably the more reliable option in terms of a starting pitcher. On top of that, Keller is under team control for three more years after this season, which makes him a much better choice.
Then again, what the Cubs would have to give up to get Keller, especially if Suarez is on the table, might not be worth it when they can take a big swing at Suarez and use Morton and Finnegan as alternatives.
The only reason passing on Keller makes sense is if they are planning on going all in on Suarez. Other than that, picking Finnegan and Morton over Keller just doesn’t make sense and it could cost the Cubs a really good shot at a long postseason.