By

Aaliyan Mohammed is a Newsweek contributor based in Atlanta, GA. His focus is MLB content. Aaliyan has been with Newsweek since 2024 and previously worked at MLB.com, Wisconsin Sports Heroics and Heavy.com. He is a graduate of Mississippi State University. You can get in touch with Aaliyan by emailing [email protected]

Contributing Sports Writer

🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.

The Chicago Cubs lost Justin Steele to season-ending elbow surgery and have seen their lead in the National League Central shrink to just 3 1/2 games.

The Cubs' starters have a 4.06 ERA this season. Their electric offense has been key for them to win games, but they will need to upgrade their rotation if they want to make a deep run in October.

Shōta Imanaga is currently injured as well, but he should return this season. The Cubs may need to bring in some more reliable arms to surround him in the rotation. Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly suggested the Cubs could swing trades to land both Merrill Kelly of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Zach Eflin of the Baltimore Orioles.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MAY 07: Chicago Cubs President Jed Hoyer talks on the phone before a game against the San Diego Padres at Wrigley Field on May 07, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Griffin Quinn/Getty Images

"The Cubs could go one of two ways at the deadline," wrote Kelly. "Either president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer could take a big swing on someone like Alcántara or Gallen, hoping they catch fire and can carry them in the postseason. Alternatively, he could try to add a pair of starters that could take the ball in the playoffs, like Zach Eflin of the Baltimore Orioles and Merrill Kelly of the Diamondbacks. A rotation of Imanaga, Eflin and Kelly might not have an obvious ace, but it would give you three pretty good options."

The Orioles are set up to be sellers at the trade deadline. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks are a team that contenders will have their eyes on. They are 39-38 and 3 1/2 games out of a wild card spot entering Monday. The team has plenty of players slated to hit free agency after the season that could be of value to contenders.

Kelly has a 3.39 ERA in 16 starts this season and had a 2.25 ERA in the 2023 postseason, helping the Diamondbacks reach the World Series. Eflin has a 5.46 ERA in 11 starts this year, but has shown stretches of being a great rotation arm. He posted a 2.09 ERA after being traded to the Orioles last year.

Both players will hit the open market when the year ends, and could be good rental arms for the Cubs.

More MLB: MLB Writer Suggests $120 Million Red Sox Superstar Could Be Traded