Cubs address bench and pitching depth amid 'a really tight market' for top starting pitchers

CHICAGO — President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer approached the trade deadline wanting to improve the Chicago Cubs bench and pitching depth.

To that end, Hoyer and the Cubs accomplished their goal. They fell short, though, in acquiring a top starting pitcher as Hoyer described “a really tight market” to add that caliber of player.

“The way I would say it: Very few rental starters, effectively no starters that had one year of control after this, and then the controllable starters, none of those guys changed hands,” Hoyer said Thursday after the deadline passed. “Obviously we didn’t acquire them, and no one else did either.

“The asking price we felt like was something that we couldn’t do to the future. … In the end, the asking price on those guys would have been so detrimental to our future that we decided against it.”

Among the notable controllable starters discussed at the trade deadline who ultimately stayed with their teams were the Miami Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera, the Minnesota Twins’ Joe Ryan, the Washington Nationals’ MacKenzie Gore and the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Mitch Keller.

Some Cubs fans might feel differently about the approach the front office took in not parting with any of its top prospects. The Cubs were unwilling to give up those type of players for a rental. And, Hoyer noted, both sides still would have needed to match needs and wants to pull off a deal.

“Whether it’s in this offseason or the past, certainly we’ve moved top prospects,” Hoyer said. “But that’s the calculus that we have to make is, ultimately, what is the impact this is making and how many wins are we losing going forward?

“I feel good about what we did. We provided insurance in a number of different ways on the roster, and we have a really good team. And one of our focuses was making sure that we had the depth in order to withstand any injuries we may have during the second half.”

This is the risk that comes with waiting until the trade deadline to make certain upgrades to the roster versus the offseason. Giving themselves financial flexibility for in-season moves can be helpful, but Thursday felt like a missed opportunity to add a more proven starter who could get the ball in a playoff game — especially with the prospect capital the Cubs possess, which includes five players ranked among the top 100 in baseball.

And within the scope of the moves other National League playoff contenders made over the last 48 hours — particularly the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets and San Diego Padres — the Cubs didn’t make an all-in type of deal that their record and performance over the last four months seemingly merited.

The Cubs ultimately made four additions in the lead-up to Thursday’s 6 p.m. ET deadline:

— Right-hander Michael Soroka

— Right-handed reliever Andrew Kittredge

— Left-handed reliever Taylor Rogers

— Utilityman Willi Castro

Soroka likely will be used in the rotation initially but is viewed as an “out-getter” who at some point could move to a relief role.

Veteran reliever Ryan Pressly was designated for assignment to create a roster spot for Rogers. Pressly wasn’t the high-leverage arm the Cubs thought they were getting for the bullpen after an offseason trade with the Houston Astros. His whiff rate took a concerning dip and his inability to consistently miss bats eventually caught up to him. He allowed four home runs and seven earned runs in his last five outings (12.60 ERA).

A deal to send right-handed starter Adrian Houser to the Cubs got “pretty close,” White Sox general manager Chris Getz told reporters, with both teams working on it until roughly 30 minutes before the deadline.

“There was sincere interest, but it wasn’t above Tampa Bay’s offer,” Getz said after trading Houser to the Rays for infielder Curtis Mead and two prospects.

In the four trades, the Cubs dealt Double-A pitchers Ryan Gallagher (ranked No. 8 in their system by MLB.com) and Sam Armstrong to the Twins for Castro; Triple-A outfielder Christian Franklin (No. 14) and Arizona Complex League infielder Ronny Cruz (No. 13) to the Nationals for Soroka; High-A outfielder Ivan Brethowr to the Pirates for Rogers; and Dominican Summer League infielder Wilfri De La Cruz to the Baltimore Orioles for Kittredge.

Castro, 28, is a great fit for the Cubs, who needed better bench options. The switch hitter’s ability to play infield and outfield gives Counsell flexibility. In 86 games for the Twins this year, Castro hit 15 doubles and 10 homers while posting a .245/.335/.407 slash line and a 103 OPS+.

Hoyer anticipates Castro playing all over the field to give the Cubs regulars a break with how many games most of them have played this year.

In Rogers, the Cubs get a third lefty for the bullpen. The 24-year-old had a 2.45 ERA and 184 ERA+ in 40 appearances this year for the Cincinnati Reds, who traded him to the Pirates on Wednesday in a deal for third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes.

Thirty minutes after arriving at the Orioles team hotel Wednesday night in Chicago, Kittredge’s phone rang. He knew his name was being thrown around in trade rumors, yet it was a strange moment when the veteran reliever was informed he had been traded to the Cubs.

He switched hotels and stopped by Wrigley Field on Thursday morning to get a tour of the clubhouse, meet a few of his new teammates and briefly chat with manager Craig Counsell.

“To get an opportunity to come and play for a team that is currently sitting in a playoff spot and has aspirations of making a deep run in the playoffs, I mean, that’s really all you can ask for as a player,” Kittredge said. “You want to be playing games late in the season, in the postseason, and that’s when it’s fun.”

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