The Chicago Cubs want a fourth starter but are unwilling to pay for the top available hurlers. Could a relative bargain fit the bill for the Northsiders?

Long since ruled out as bidders on Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, or the recently-signed Blake Snell, the Cubs continue to try to trade outfielder Cody Bellinger while looking at ways to upgrade the starting staff.

Michael Cerami of Bleacher Nation points out Jack Flaherty as a fit for the big market, penny-inching Cubs.

“And at just 29 years old — detached from draft pick compensation — he offers a hurdle-less path for the Cubs front office. Steamer is projected 29 starts with a 3.85 ERA, a 25.2% strikeout rate, and a 7.6% walk rate,” Cerami wrote. “He’s also a righty, which would help break up Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga. I really think he should be the mid-to-front-of-the-rotation starter the Cubs target. Yes, you have to think though the risks that are associated with his past injuries, but that’s going to be a factor at some level for all free-agent pitchers.”

Flaherty is an eight-year Major League Baseball veteran who has gone 55-41 with a 3.63 ERA with four different teams since making his big-league debut with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2017.

Acquired by the Dodgers in July from the Detroit Tigers, Flaherty went 6-2 with a 3.58 ERA down the stretch and then started five games during the postseason.

Spotrac projects Flaherty’s market value as able to expect a three-year contract of approximately $63 million.

Adding Fried would greatly enhance the Cubs’ starting rotation, giving the team a 1-4 of Imanaga, Steele, Jameson Taillon, and Flaherty, with the promising Javier Assad and Ben Brown battling for the No. 5 slot.

More MLB: Could the Cubs still be in play for a $108 million hurler?