Adding a starting pitcher is a must for the Chicago Cubs.
With Justin Steele out of the mix for the rest of the season, their already-thin rotation has been pushed to the limit during the past couple of months.
The return of Shota Imanaga came at the perfect time and was very welcome, but to truly make a deep run in the playoffs, the front office has to add another ace-caliber arm to the equation.
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That’s where Luis Severino comes in.
The veteran right-hander had a resurgent year with the New York Mets last season, posting a 3.91 ERA in 31 starts that was reminiscent of what he did before his shoulder and elbow injuries.
Severino parlayed that performance into a lucrative three-year, $67 million contract with the Athletics this past offseason, a move that caught the attention of everyone in the baseball world considering how little money that franchise had previously spent in free agency.
His addition was supposed to help take the Athletics to the next level in their rebuilding process, giving their rotation a front-line starter.
But it has not worked out that way.
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Severino has not adjusted well to playing in the minor league ballpark, posting a 6.79 ERA across 10 starts at home while putting up a 3.04 ERA in eight starts on the road.
He also was outspoken against the current situation, which has landed him on the trade block.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Athletics “are now open to trading him” before the July 31 deadline, with the insider going even so far to say “it may come as a surprise if he’s still with the organization come August.”
That creates the perfect chance for the Cubs to strike
While Severino’s season ERA of 5.09 across his 18 starts isn’t anything that suggests he’s a top-of-the-rotation arm, that should be taken with a grain of salt when looking at his splits.
If he’s much closer to the road version of himself, then he would be the ace-level pitcher Chicago desperately needs.
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Still, it would be a risk to acquire Severino.
He’s striking out batters at the lowest rate of his career and giving up hard contact at the second-highest rate since he debuted in the Majors, not positive indicators about how he might look if the Cubs do acquire him.
However, his Stuff+ is still above the league average of 100, so a few tweaks by Chicago’s coaching staff should be able to get him back on track.
A benefit for the Cubs in this case is that Severino is also under contract for two more years, meaning he wouldn’t be a rental and he’d fit into the championship window that seems to now be open for this franchise.
Chicago needs to be aggressive to acquire a starting pitcher, especially now that Jameson Taillon has been put on the injured list and is expected to be on the shelf for a while.
Severino might not be a headline addition, but he would improve this rotation and would help the Cubs out in the long-term.
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