Chicago Cubs offseason trade target shows what they missed out on

The Cubs dropped the series to the Phillies by losing the last game by a score of 7-2. The game featured a ton of offense by the Phillies and a dominant pitching performance from Phillies’ left-hander Jesús Luzardo, who was a target of the Cubs in the offseason.

Luzardo pitched six strong innings, striking out 10 Cubs while walking none and allowing one earned run. Outside his last two outings, in which he allowed a combined 20 earned runs, Luzardo has been one of the better pitchers in the National League this season.

Luzardo was the apple of the Cubs’ eye to trade for over the offseason, as he has Ace-level stuff, and he would’ve been a nice complementary piece to pair with Shota Imanaga and Justin Steele (before he got hurt). Sadly, the Cubs opted not to trade for the 27-year-old left-hander, whom they felt, given his injury history, the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze. However, today’s outing showed he’s healthy and would’ve been worth the risk.

The Cubs will be active at the Trade Deadline

The Cubs missed on Luzardo and now find themselves deficient in the starting pitching department, given the injuries they’ve sustained. The Cubs should make a few moves at the deadline to bolster their rotation and bullpen, with President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer confirming that he and the front office would be making such moves, with the only question being, who the Cubs will end up trading for?

The Cubs could end up trading for Luzardo’s old teammate with the Miami Marlins, Sandy Alcántara, who, with Pablo López out, is the top pitcher on the market. The Cubs have the prospects and major league talent to get a deal done, and with seven weeks to go, the Cubs will have a well-crafted plan going into the deadline.