Trade idea for Cubs to upgrade their bullpen |
To say the Cubs' first month of the season has been a roller coaster would be an understatement. Not only are they continuously hampered by the injury bug, but their bullpen, especially the back end, has been a question mark all season. Despite Adbert Alzolay blowing four saves already, this team is still sitting at 18-12, which is the most wins in franchise history for the month of April.
Had he not blown those saves, this team would have the best record in baseball, which is impressive when you look at the adversity they are facing. Knowing the struggles that Alzolay has had this season, you knew a demotion for the closer role was coming, as Craig Counsell has publicly said that the ninth inning will be a closer-by-committee situation right now. Had Julian Merryweather not gotten hurt, there is a high likelihood that he would be the closer as his loss proves to be more costly by the day. When you look at the Cubs bullpen, Keegan Thompson and Mark Leiter Jr have been the Cubs best options, but neither one is an ideal fit to close. Thompson would've been a great option in 2022, but he has been a different pitcher since, so you can't throw him in that situation. Leiter Jr. allowed his first earned run of the season at Boston, but unless he can consistently get righties out, you can't use him in the ninth. That is why Hector Neris has been getting the save opportunities of late, and despite being a perfect 4-4, those saves have yet to be pretty, as nothing is coming easy for this team. At some point, you know this team will get healthy, and when that does, it will be interesting to see how good they can become. However, unless they address the closer spot, it may not matter, as the Cubs need to focus on trading for a closer. Some would argue that Ben Brown could be an in-house candidate at some point, but when you look at how he is pitching as a starter, why change his role at this point? Now Mason Miller of the Oakland Athletics is another story. He could be the piece to the Cubs' pen that this team has been missing. For all that has gone wrong for the Athletics the past two seasons, they are still only five games under .500, and a big reason that they have been able to remain competitive is having Miller in the back of their pen.
In 12 innings of work so far this season, Miller has spotted a K per 9 of 18.24, which would be an MLB record should that continue all season. He puts up those high strikeout numbers with a low walk rate and an impressive 1.46 ERA, fitting the definition of a lockdown late-inning arm. Of the 37 batters he has faced this season, 25 have been retired via the strikeout, and that is something the Cubs bullpen has lacked since the Aroldis Chapman, Wade Davis, and Craig Kimbrel days.
Looking at the current state of the Cubs' pen, outside of Daniel Palencia, the Cubs don't have that guy that you would call a strikeout machine. Miller is that guy and is the perfect fit for a team desperate to find some late-inning arms. Adding a guy averaging close to 19 strikeouts per nine innings to a team not even averaging nine strikeouts per nine innings is a massive upgrade and would instantly change this season's outlook.
While there is no indication that the A's would move on from Miller, this is still a rebuilding team set to move to Sacramento and then Las Vegas, so you know they will want some pieces in return. With Lucas Erceg also in their pen, the A's already have one of the best 1-2 combinations in the game, so trading away Miller may not hurt them as much as some would think.
Anytime you trade for a player as good as Miller is right now, it will cost you. How much the cost is would dictate whether or not the Cubs trade for a closer, as giving up the farm for a closer is never a good idea. However, the Cubs have options, and two of those options are pitchers, Michael Arias and Porter Hodge, who could be the center pieces of a trade for Miller.
Both are top-30 prospects in the Cubs system with tremendous upsides, but Arias could be the key to the deal. The former shortstop turned pitcher is the No. 12 prospect in the Cubs system, and some view him as the only true relief arm in the organization capable of making an impact. The former starter has moved into a relief role this season with AA Tennessee and has posted a sub-1.00 ERA, currently sitting at 0.84 for the season.
Led by his heater, which sits in the 95-97 MPH range, Arias mixes that with a steady blend of offspeed pitches, including his 88 MPH change, which has proven to be a real out pitch. The same can be said about Hodge, who was added to the 40-man roster in November as he is more of a swing guy but has been primarily used in relief for Tennessee this season.
Like Arias, Hodge has a big fastball that averages 95-96 but has been touching 98 at times this season. Walks have continued to be an issue for Hodge this season, but the stuff is there, and should he cut down on those walks, he is a live arm anyone will be willing to look at.
It may take more than two prospects to complete a deal for Miller, so look for Moises Ballesteros' name to be mentioned as he continues to put together solid numbers at AA Tennessee despite being 19 years old.
