The Chicago Cubs may have lost their stranglehold on the National League Central, but they could still rebound by upgrading at the trade deadline.
That’s why ESPN’s David Schoenfeld named the Cubs the frontrunner to land veteran right-hander Seth Lugo from the Kansas City Royals, who is considered the best-available starting pitcher by many news outlets.
Chicago trails the first-place Milwaukee Brewers by a game for the NL Central lead. The Cubs led the Brewers by 6.5 games as recently as June 17 yet have gone 15-14 over their past 29 games while Milwaukee is 22-6 in that span.
With the trade deadline looming July 31 at 6 p.m. ET, it is incumbent on the Cubs to make a deal in hopes of shoring up their rotation.
Why Should The Cubs Trade For Seth Lugo?
The Cubs offense is arguably the best in baseball. They rank fourth in the majors in OPS (.770), third in home runs (152) and second in stolen bases (118), keyed by All-Stars Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker.
But the Cubs rotation is lagging, especially depth-wise, behind All-Star aces Shota Imanaga and Matthew Boyd. Lugo could alleviate that as a very good middle-of-the-rotation starter who is signed through this year but has a $15 million player option for 2026.
Cubs fans might appreciate Lugo after watching him throw a quality start and pick up his seventh win of the season Wednesday at Wrigley Field. Lugo tossed six innings of four-hit, two-run ball in the Royals’ 8-4 win which clinched their series win at the Friendly Confines and officially dropped the Cubs into second place in the NL Central.
Although he pitches for the third-place, sub-.500 Royals, Lugo has been excellent this season, boasting the 10th-best ERA in the American League (2.95) and the 19th-best mark in the majors. That is why Schoenfeld feels the Cubs should do whatever it takes to land the 35-year-old.
“Of the pitchers heading to free agency, Lugo is the best combination of “good” and “likely to be traded,” Schoenfeld wrote. “The Cubs should be the team most willing to offer what’s needed to get him. They have a championship-caliber lineup and defense, plus the bullpen has been solid.”
Plus, according to Schoenfeld, the Royals and Cubs could be a proper match for a trade, given what KC is hoping to collect for Lugo.
“[The Cubs’] farm system strength is on the position player side, which also matches up with the Royals’ needs,” Schoenfeld wrote.
Why Would The Cubs Not Want To Trade For Seth Lugo?
The Cubs are trying really, really hard to bring an ace-caliber starter, with ESPN’s Jeff Passan reporting they are trying to take a huge swing to acquire Washington Nationals ace MacKenzie Gore.
Minnesota Twins All-Star Joe Ryan has also been connected to the Cubs, and Schoenfeld detailed why either Ryan or Gore — or potentially Pittsburgh Pirates No. 2 starter Mitch Keller — would make more sense for the Cubs to target.
“Neither Boyd nor Imanaga average a strikeout per inning, and neither does Lugo, so there might be some concern about how that rotation plays in the postseason,” Schoenfeld wrote. “Hence, the ‘think big’ idea of Gore or Ryan, even if it means emptying the farm system.”
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