Cubs reportedly in trade talks with Marlins |
To say this has been a strange baseball season would be an understatement. After one of the most unpredictable offseasons, which saw several big-name players wait to sign until late in the spring before seeing the results thus far this season, 2024 is going to go down as one of the most unpredictable seasons in recent memory.
To make things even more interesting, the Padres and Marlins got together on a trade late last week when they acquired Luis Arraez for a pair of minor-league prospects. Talk about a shock to the MLB landscape, as no one saw that deal coming. Sticking with the Marlins for a bit, trading players isn't a surprise, but seeing them trade one this early was a surprise. According to Cubs insider David Kaplain, the Marlins may not be done making moves. There are growing rumors that the Cubs and Marlins are in conversations to make a trade. “It’s incumbent on Jed Hoyer to make a move, and go get some bullpen help," Kaplan said in a recent video. "And I’m hearing from a little birdie, who’s got his nose to the ground and his ears always listening, the Cubs and Marlins COULD – could – be working on a deal for a reliever.” While the overall logistics of the potential deal haven't been leaked, the Cubs could be looking to acquire left-handed reliever/closer Tanner Scott from Miami, which makes a ton of sense for this team. Hearing the Cubs linked to the Marlins isn't a surprise, as these teams have been linked for two years. Most of the previous talks circled around starting pitching, with Jesus Luzardo as the name being thrown out. Luzardo is currently nursing a minor arm injury, but even at that, the Cubs could still be interested and thus push someone like Ben Brown or Hayden Wesneski to the bullpen. However, the most recent report has them looking for bullpen help, and Scott is the name being thrown around right now. No one is going to take away from what the Cubs have done so far this season. They are tied for first in the NL Central, have continued to get great starting pitching, and have been able to overcome arguably the worst stretch of injuries in quite some time. Despite the good comes the bad, and the bullpen has been bad all season. Take Julian Merryweather, who's on the IL, and Mark Leiter Jr out of the equation; there isn't one guy you can point to in the Cubs pen that you could say you trust from one day to the next. Remember that they don't have a proven left-handed reliever, as Leiter Jr is their lefty despite being a right-handed thrower. Scott could solve many of the Cubs' issues as he is not only a left-hander but also one with plenty of closer experience, which the Cubs are also lacking at the moment. The 29-year-old left-hander has been one of the better relievers the past few seasons, and with this being the final year of his contract, it makes a ton of sense for the Marlins to move him and even more sense for the Cubs to target him. After getting off to a rough start to open the season, Scott has started to trend in the right direction the past few weeks, and the Cubs found out firsthand how good he can be when he came in to slam the door twice against them when the Marlins were at Wrigley. A hard thrower who sits consistently in the 96-97 MPH range with his heater, Scott mixes in a great slider and a change-up to offset the hitter timing as he broke out in 2023 after putting together some excellent years before that. It was last season when Scott put his name on the map and started to get the attention of a lot of people as he posted a 2.31 ERA across 78 innings in 2023. Scott also showed excellent command and did a fabulous job limiting contact as he posted 33.9% K, 7.8% BB, 50.9% GB, and 3.4% barrel rates for the season. You put him in a ninth-inning role on a competitive Cubs team, and you would see those numbers return if not improve. If the Marlins and Cubs are talking relievers, Scott isn't the only option, as his price tag could be steep. Andrew Nardi, Calvin Faucher, Bryan Hoeing, Declan Cronin, and Burch Smith are all great options, but unless Hoeing is your plan B, none of them will strike you as a massive upgrade as Scott would. I want to urge the fans that these are just rumors and not actual talks. Where there is smoke, there tends to be fire, and there are reports coming out that the teams are talking. The Cubs need to make this move, and the longer this team stays in its current position, the more likely it is that they will. Scott is a great addition, and it is logical for Jed Hoyer to make this type of move.
