A Cubs-A’s trade for a reliever not named Mason Miller

The Chicago Cubs have played their worst baseball of the season lately to enter Tuesday's series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays with a 32-34 record. They're 7.0 games back of the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers and are just 0.5 games ahead of the last-place Pittsburgh Pirates. Not what they envisioned when they gave Craig Counsell a record-setting deal to manage.

Their offense has taken a major step back during their recent rough stretch, but their bullpen has been an issue all season long. They're 22nd in the majors in bullpen ERA, and none of the teams below them are in playoff positioning as of this writing.

For the Cubs to go on a run and be a legitimate threat in the National League, upgrading the bullpen is a must. When looking at obvious sellers, the Oakland Athletics stick out as an obvious team to call. Mason Miller is the dream target, but let's be real. That's not happening. While Miller feels like a pipe dream, the A's do have other intriguing options for Jed Hoyer to consider.

A Cubs-A's trade to land Chicago some much-needed bullpen help

Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) listed a pair of relievers not named Mason Miller that the A's might move at the trade deadline.

"Teams do believe the A’s could move relievers Austin Adams or Lucas Erceg if in return they could land everyday position-player prospects who are close to the majors."

Erceg is currently injured with a strained forearm. Rather than take that gamble, the Cubs would be wise to consider an Adams trade. Here's what one might look like.

The New York Mets signed Adams to a deal this offseason, but he wasn't going to make the team out of Spring Training. Because of that, the Mets traded him to the A's for cash. With how mightily the Mets bullpen has struggled of late, that's a deal they regret, especially with how well Adams has pitched.

The right-hander has a 3.63 ERA in 31 appearances and 22.1 innings of work. Command can elude him at times, but Adams has a strong 27.4% K-rate and has allowed just one home run. He's not a closer by any means, but he can add some quality depth to a Cubs bullpen in desperate need of that.

Not only would Adams help now, but he happens to have another year of club control, making him more valuable for both the Cubs and the A's. The fact that he's making just $800,000 this season is icing on the cake.

Bowden says that the A's would be looking for a position player prospect close to the majors, and Brennan Davis, Chicago's 22nd-best prospect according to MLB Pipeline, fits that description.

Davis, a former top prospect in Chicago's system, has seen his stock fall drastically as he has struggled to stay healthy. He has played 100 games in a season just once, and that was back in 2021. He also really struggled in AAA last season.

This season has been a different story, though, as Davis has a .924 OPS and 10 home runs in the 43 games he has played. He isn't much of an average hitter, but he draws walks and has a ton of power. The 24-year-old is on the cusp of being MLB-ready and the fact that he was once a top prospect could give A's fans something to cheer about.