{"id":70798,"date":"2025-07-24T06:56:38","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T06:56:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=70798"},"modified":"2025-07-24T06:56:38","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T06:56:38","slug":"as-chicago-cubs-drop-kansas-city-royals-series-improving-the-pitching-staff-remains-trade-deadline-priority","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=70798","title":{"rendered":"As Chicago Cubs drop Kansas City Royals series, improving the pitching staff remains trade deadline priority"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The Chicago Cubs came into the season expecting right-hander Colin Rea to factor into the rotation in some capacity.<\/p>\n

The 35-year-old had 76 career big-league starts before joining the Cubs, and the organization expected that experience to be valuable as they tried to build a pitching staff with depth and multi-inning options. Injuries to multiple starting pitchers, though, has meant relying more heavily on Rea in a starter role.<\/p>\n

Rea is 66 innings away from eclipsing his career-high after allowing six runs (five earned) over five innings in the Cubs\u2019 8-4 loss Wednesday to drop the series against the Kansas Royals. On a day the wind was blowing out at Wrigley Field, the Royals tagged Rea for three two-run home runs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought Colin pitched well, I mean, the home run in the first is a legit homer,\u201d manager Craig Counsell said. \u201cThe error (on Seiya Suzuki\u2019s dropped fly ball) gave them an extra run there. And then the other two homers \u2026 it\u2019s tough to blame the pitcher, and they did a good job of pulling the ball in the air. It was a day where you were rewarded for putting the ball in the air. And they did that part of the game certainly better than us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rea set his career mark last year with the Milwaukee Brewers when he tossed 167 2\/3 innings in 32 games (27 starts). His 17 starts this year are tied with Jameson Taillon for second-most on the Cubs behind Matthew Boyd\u2019s 20, and that doesn\u2019t include his outing June 5 at the Washington Nationals when he pitched 5 1\/3 innings following an opener.<\/p>\n

Rea has been essentially league average this year, entering Wednesday\u2019s start with a 101 ERA+. But relying on him as much as the Cubs have highlights their need to acquire another proven starter. Rea, right-hander Ben Brown and rookie Cade Horton are responsible for 41.2% of the Cubs\u2019 starts this year. The Cubs have also used an opener six times.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s something you overthink, or anything,\u201d Rea said of pitchers stepping up amid injuries this year. \u201cIt\u2019s just go out there, do your job, each man coming in every single day, trying to find ways to get better.\u201d<\/p>\n

If the Cubs keep trending in the right direction and make the postseason \u2014 they are currently tied for the second-best record in MLB and sit one game back of the Brewers in the National League Central \u2014 adding another quality starter who can slot into a playoff series with Boyd and Shota Imanaga would make them a serious World Series threat.<\/p>\n

Photos: Chicago Cubs lose to Kansas City Royals 8-4 at Wrigley Field<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Cubs have a couple of different paths they potentially can take when looking to upgrade the rotation. They could attempt to trade for one of the top controllable starters \u2014 such as the Minnesota Twins\u2019 Joe Ryan or the Nationals\u2019 MacKenzie Gore \u2014 which would require a steep cost in prospect capital, almost certainly multiple top-100 prospects from the Cubs\u2019 system. Miami Marlins right-hander Edward Cabrera is also an intriguing starter who wouldn\u2019t be a free agent until 2029. But he\u2019s less proven and has health concerns. He pitched well against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

The Cubs did not have any scouts in attendance at Cabrera\u2019s start Tuesday in Miami, sources told the Tribune. But the organization does not tend to deploy its scouts for in-person looks at the pro level.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the Cubs address the rotation and bullpen within the same trade. Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller and reliever David Bednar are an intriguing mix, though those pitchers don\u2019t necessarily possess big upside. The Cubs have shown they can identify ways to get the most out of pitchers, their current bullpen featuring good examples with Brad Keller, Chris Flexen and Drew Pomeranz. But whoever the Cubs acquire, it likely won\u2019t be a pitcher who will need those kinds of significant tweaks to get them back on track.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe developmental one in terms of making big changes with players is a little harder because there\u2019s just not a lot of time left in the season,\u201d Counsell said. \u201cSo the Brad Keller example, that to me is more of a longer term.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whatever path the Cubs ultimately settle on, they are clear buyers, which is a distinct difference from the previous two years when the team had to fight to prove to the front office it should not, at the very least, blow up the roster as they attempted to dig out of a hole in the standings.<\/p>\n

With a week to go until the July 31 trade deadline, the pitching staff is the most obvious area to improve a roster that can win the division and make a deep postseason run.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve done a great job of putting ourselves in a position where we\u2019ve proved to a lot of people that we have a really good foundation, and now it\u2019s up to the front office and the research and development group, scouting group, to find ways to continue to help raise our floor,\u201d pitching coach Tommy Hottovy told the Tribune on Wednesday. \u201cWe know what we can do as a team. You know what the ceiling of this team can be, but you want to make sure that you continue to find ways to support the pillars because we still have a lot of season left, and we\u2019re still going to need a lot of contributors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Originally Published:

If the Chicago Cubs make the postseason, adding another quality starter who can slot into a playoff series would make them a serious World Series threat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":70799,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1323,282,1242,823,76,1238,80,117,1855,1872,1168],"class_list":["post-70798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","tag-ben-brown","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-colin-rea","tag-craig-counsell","tag-kansas-city-royals","tag-matthew-boyd","tag-mlb-baseball","tag-shota-imanaga","tag-starting-rotation","tag-tommy-hottovy","tag-wrigley-field"],"yoast_head":"\nAs Chicago Cubs drop Kansas City Royals series, improving the pitching staff remains trade deadline priority - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=70798\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"As Chicago Cubs drop Kansas City Royals series, improving the pitching staff remains trade deadline priority - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If the Chicago Cubs make the postseason, adding another quality starter who can slot into a playoff series would make them a serious World Series threat.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=70798\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-24T06:56:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/avtvip-37-5.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MrThanh\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MrThanh\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=70798\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=70798\",\"name\":\"As Chicago Cubs drop Kansas City Royals series, improving the pitching staff remains trade deadline priority - NEWS USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=70798#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=70798#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/avtvip-37-5.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-24T06:56:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-24T06:56:38+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=70798#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=70798\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=70798#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/avtvip-37-5.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/avtvip-37-5.jpg\",\"width\":900,\"height\":900},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=70798#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"As Chicago Cubs drop Kansas City Royals series, improving the pitching staff remains trade deadline priority\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"NEWS USA\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec\",\"name\":\"MrThanh\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MrThanh\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=6\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"As Chicago Cubs drop Kansas City Royals series, improving the pitching staff remains trade deadline priority - NEWS USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=70798","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"As Chicago Cubs drop Kansas City Royals series, improving the pitching staff remains trade deadline priority - NEWS USA","og_description":"If the Chicago Cubs make the postseason, adding another quality starter who can slot into a playoff series would make them a serious World Series threat.","og_url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=70798","og_site_name":"NEWS USA","article_published_time":"2025-07-24T06:56:38+00:00","og_image":[{"width":900,"height":900,"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/avtvip-37-5.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"MrThanh","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MrThanh","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=70798","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=70798","name":"As Chicago Cubs drop Kansas City Royals series, improving the pitching staff remains trade deadline priority - NEWS USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=70798#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=70798#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/avtvip-37-5.jpg","datePublished":"2025-07-24T06:56:38+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-24T06:56:38+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=70798#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=70798"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=70798#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/avtvip-37-5.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/avtvip-37-5.jpg","width":900,"height":900},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=70798#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"As Chicago Cubs drop Kansas City Royals series, improving the pitching staff remains trade deadline priority"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/","name":"NEWS USA","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec","name":"MrThanh","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"MrThanh"},"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=6"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70798","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=70798"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70798\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70800,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70798\/revisions\/70800"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/70799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=70798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=70798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=70798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}