Chicago Cubs Pitchers Linked as Potential Trade Fit for Rangers

The Chicago Cubs aren’t even sure if they’re buyers or sellers at the trade deadline, but that’s not stopping the churn of potential trade scenarios the Cubs could entertain.

The Texas Rangers are in first place in the American League West and just swung a deal for reliever Aroldis Chapman. But the belief is the Rangers will look for more bullpen help at the deadline. Given the recent performances of starting pitchers Andrew Heaney and Martín Pérez, they could be looking for a starting pitcher, too.

The Athletic recently put together several Rangers trade proposals, one of which involved the Cubs. It’s a deal that, theoretically, would help the Rangers both in their rotation and bullpen and add further stock to the Cubs’ prospect pipeline.

The deal, per The Athletic?

The Rangers would get Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks, along with relievers Adbert Alzolay and Mark Leiter Jr., and the Cubs would get pitcher Brock Burke, outfielder and first baseman Dustin Harris, pitcher Winston Santos and shortstop Maximo Acosta.

There are plenty of reasons to make the deal, not the least of which is the Rangers, at one point, had Hendricks, before trading him to the Cubs and are familiar with him:

Given the state of their season and the cycle the franchise is in, the Cubs would likely be open to adding to Hendricks to get Harris and Burke. But it’s doubtful they were planning to listen on Alzolay, preferring to shop Leiter — cousin to Texas’ Jack Leiter — and Julian Merryweather, veteran middle relievers who are controllable through 2026.

The Cubs got Hendricks from the Rangers in 2012 in the Ryan Dempster trade. Hendricks has won nearly 100 games for the Cubs. In this deal the Rangers would inherit his $16 million club option, but it has a $1.5 million buyout.

As for Alzolay and Leiter, they have been capable arms for the Cubs this season. Alzolay and Leiter are just entering their arbitration years, team control that would interest the Rangers.

In return, the Cubs get Burke, a solid reliever who is also entering his arbitration years, along with three Top 30 prospects in Harris, Santos and Acosta. Harris is a Triple-A and in other organizations he might already be at the Major League level.

Would this deal work? As the Cubs seem likely to wait until the last minute to try and make a deal, we may have to wait until the last second to see if it will.

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