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MLB Insider Floats Cubs as a Suitor for Diamondbacks’ Pitchers

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jacob Mountz | Last updated Jun 3, 2025 4:15 PM ET

The Chicago Cubs’ pitching situation has been anything but pretty. With Shota Imanaga on the mend, the Cubs will soon be getting one of their impact arms back from the IL. However, with Justin Steele gone and Javier Assad still out for the foreseeable future, the Cubs are still lacking a reliable mid-rotation pitcher.

Cubs’ president Jed Hoyer has already stated his intentions to fix this problem. With several quality trade candidates gracing this trade deadline’s hot stove, one MLB insider has pitched a solution that's a little outside the box. In an appearance on ESPN 1000, Jesse Rogers proposed the idea that the Cubs should look into Arizona Diamondbacks’ starters Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen. He justified his stance that the D-Backs will be sellers saying this:

“I think, I truly think, there’s going to be a new player in the seller’s market, one I would have never predicted.

“… [The Diamondbacks] have a horrendous bullpen. Corbin Burnes might be out [for a long time with an elbow injury], that team is already ten out of first; they’re well out of the Wild Card race and going backwards. Think about this, Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly are free agents both at the end of this year. How would one of those guys look in a Cubs uniform?

“So, this is a huge developing story in my mind when it comes to the trade deadline…. I think Gallen and Kelly are both going to be on the market.”

No one truly expected the D-Backs to best the Dodgers in the NL West, but any rumor of a D-Backs sell-off would be premature. That said, Arizona’s pitching staff hasn’t been good, and two of their best-performing arms (Corbin Burnes and Justin Martinez) are on the IL. And since both Gallen and Kelly are in their walk years, the unexpected could potentially come to fruition.

This season, Gallen owns a 5.54 ERA while Kelly owns a 3.78. Both have showcased All-Star talent at times during their careers, but this season, it appears there are better options. Still, if the Cubs are able to land either of these two and have him revert back to All-Star form, this would work wonders for them.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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