ESPN’s Jesse Rogers recently pitched quite the idea on ESPN 1000 this morning. Rogers suggested the Arizona Diamondbacks could end up being sellers at the trade deadline this season, which could mean Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly end up on the market. Rogers went as far as to suggest the Chicago Cubs would be the perfect landing spot for one of the talented pitchers.

“I think, I truly think, there’s going to be a new player in the seller’s market, one I would have never predicted, and that is the Arizona Diamondbacks… They have a horrendous bullpen.

“Corbin Burnes might be out (for a long time with his 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 gonna be on the market.”

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.

Cubs need to bring in a pitcher from the Diamondbacks

The Cubs came into the season with a very questionable starting rotation. A lot of people expected Chicago to hit the trade market rather hard to address their rotation with players like Sandy Alcántara gaining steam as a potential trade target. The Cubs didn’t pursue a pitcher, and it’s led to a depth problem in the big leagues, especially with how many injuries have hit the Cubs this year.

Javier Assad, Shota Imanaga, and Justin Steele are all on the injured list. Steele is going to miss the rest of the season while the other two are still up in the air right now. With these three on the injured list, the Cubs will need to turn to the trade market to fix their biggest issue.

Diamondbacks starting pitchers could be a match for the Cubs

Either Gallen or Kelly would be a huge pick up for the Cubs. Chicago is getting desperate at this point, especially with the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers surging up the National League Central standings.

Gallen is on the final year of his contract, which makes him the perfect trade candidate for the Diamondbacks. On the year, the righty has struggled, but it’s the first time he’s posted an ERA of 4.00 or higher since 2021. He’s typically consistent and the Cubs would be betting on him to return to form if they landed him.

Kelly is also on the final year of his contract which makes him another obvious potential trade piece. The veteran righty has been solid this year, posting a 3.78 ERA in 69 innings.

Either righty would be excellent for the Cubs to add. Chicago needs to add pitching, and it can’t continue to wait.