As we all know, these bears are starting to pitch in the market to help, and it’s not hard to see why. Justin Steele After his UCL surgery, he has been out almost the whole season and will not be back until sometime next year. Jameson Taillon Currently on the injured list, the depth is Javier Assad and Brandon Birdsell. Cade Horton and Matthew Boyd After not getting much volume last year, their bureau monitored it carefully. shota imanaga Already spent some time on the injured list, and there were some worrying peripheral numbers.
All of this connects the Cubs with the vast majority of rumors in the trade market to start selling options Adrian Housergo to high-value rent Dylan stops and Merrill Lynch Kellycontrollable arms Mitch Keller and Mackenzie Gore. ESPN’s Jesse Rogers’ report this morning has a fresh look at some of Chicago’s other weapons, with just over 30 hours left before the deadline. Rogers writes that bear shows interest in oriole’s right hand Zach Eflin And talked to the Rays about their starting pitcher, while ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the guardian was on Shane Bieber yes “Options” For bears.
Eflin, 31, struggled this year with 5.93 ERA and 5.60 FIP in 14 games. 4.39 Siera and the ridiculous 19.4% home run to fly ball ratio show that some bad luckiest can bake to Eflin’s results this year, but even so, it’s hard to see him as a backstage addition to this season. That being said, the right-hander did have some interesting success under his shackles. From 2020 to 2024, Eflin threw 583 1/3 innings with 3.76 ERA and 3.46 FIP. He only left 3.9% at that time, and he beat 23.2% of his opponents. If Eflin could retake this quality mid-rotating form, he could theoretically be Chicago’s forward-looking playoff rotation this year, although it seems unlikely to be something the Bears (or any acquisition club) can rely on.
Bieber is another potential buy-low candidate, albeit for very different reasons. He hasn’t thrown major league courts since his surgery at the beginning of the 2024 season, and although he is expected to be back sometime in August, it’s always uncertain what kind of output the pitcher will be able to deliver when he suffers a major injury. However, the 2020 Al Cy Young Award winner has a career of 3.22 ERA and 3.09 FIP, and if he is healthy and at his usual level of efficiency, his career will immediately reach the top of the Cubs spin.
Bieber’s contract offers him a 16mm player option, with a purchase price of 4mm in the 2026 season. The $12mm decision is a simple decision made by Bieber, and he will definitely turn it down and return to free agent unless he suffers some new damage that will affect his 2026 campaign. Still, players’ choices are sometimes seen as various “poisons” in trade negotiations, as seen during the Cubs’ trade Cody Bellinger During the offseason, the Yankees only have a salary. Perhaps this may reduce Bieber’s acquisition costs, which makes it less likely that he will not immediately affect the cub rotation and is more delicious in urgent need of help.
As for the Rays, clubs are generally willing to listen to at least their entire lineup even when it comes to buyers, and seem to be more inclined toward sales in recent days. This makes it difficult to know which appetizers a puppy can discuss with Tampa. Waiting for free agents Zack Littell Despite the swaying perimeter, this year’s 21 pieces start with 3.72 ERA and can fit deep start molds like Eflin and Houser. Young right-handed Taj Mahal Bradley Rays are reportedly willing to listen to quotes, which would be an interesting controlled addition. He has hit 4.33 ERA with a 4.14 FIP shot over the past two seasons, but is still only 24 years old.
When it comes to rays, no deal can be completely ruled out, so maybe someone else in the club rotation can offer it too. Having said that, Drew Rasmussen Expanding with the club to January’s 2027 season, close to his limit this year Ryan Pepiot and Shane Baz Still in an imminent year. However, the acquisition costs for any of these three players will certainly be high, and there is no signal that these weapons can even listen to quotes on almost all players, except for the general trend of light. However, even by Tampa standards, the deal for one of the three would be a big surprise.
