Cubs Urged To Swing Massive Trade For $4 Million Star Closer
The Chicago Cubs are loaded with talent, but they could still use some help in the coming weeks. While their lineup is among the most talented in the league, the front office could look to upgrade the pitching staff.
The bullpen, headlined by offseason acquisition Ryan Pressly, could use some upgrading, too. There's a chance the Cubs look to land one of the better closers on the market.
FanSided's Christopher Kline recently urged the Cubs to swing a huge trade for Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran before the upcoming trade deadline.
DETROIT, MI - JUNE 27: Jhoan Duran #59 of the Minnesota Twins reacts after striking out Parker Meadows of the Detroit Tigers for the final out in a Twins 4-1 win at Comerica Park on...
DETROIT, MI - JUNE 27: Jhoan Duran #59 of the Minnesota Twins reacts after striking out Parker Meadows of the Detroit Tigers for the final out in a Twins 4-1 win at Comerica Park on June 27, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. More"Of the available relievers at this trade deadline, none profile better than Minnesota Twins fireballer Jhoan Durán. It remains to be seen if the Twins actually want to sell off a controllable reliever with a Wild Card spot technically still within reach, but the right combination of prospects will force Minnesota's hand," Kline wrote. "Every team wants a high-leverage arm in the closing role, so Durán will drum up quite the bidding war in the weeks ahead.
"Blending triple-digit heat with a nasty splitter, Durán has elite swing-and-miss stuff. Through 44 appearances and 43.1 innings pitched this season, the 27-year-old boasts a 1.66 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 49 strikeouts. He has 15 saves to his name and is under team control through 2027, giving Chicago the potential for three postseason runs with Durán before worrying about a second contract."
Duran is one of the more talented pitchers in baseball. He routinely hits triple digits with his fastball and pairs it with a splitter that runs up into the mid-90s, too.
The Cubs would have to cut ties with a haul of prospects to land Duran, but it would be worth it. His age, talent, and team control make him one of the more intriguing pitchers on the market. Chicago has been aggressive this season. It will need to get even more aggressive to land a franchise closer this month.
More MLB: Mariners Linked To Massive Trade For Diamondbacks' $10.9 Million Slugger
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Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
Chicago Cubs bullpen allows 4 runs in 8th inning to spoil Matthew Boyd's gem — and Ryne Sandberg tribute
Man, it sure was fun for Chicago Cubs fans to see No. 23 playing second base. And third base. And shortstop. And, well, all over the field. As a tribute to Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, who died Monday at 65 after a recurrence of cancer, all of the Cubs players and coaches wore dark blue jerseys with No. 23 and no last names on the back Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles. 'This was a very beautiful way of doing it,' said Nico Hoerner, who played shortstop and had three hits. 'It was hard to look at the ballplayers on the field and not think about him. And for fans out there that watched him for 15 years here and all the memories he created, hopefully it reminded them of all the joy he brought them. 'It was an amazing legacy he leaves behind.' But it wasn't so fun for the fans to watch a pair of relief pitchers wearing No. 23 give up four runs in the eighth inning of a 4-3 loss to the Orioles in front of a Wrigley Field crowd of 40,781. The Cubs (61-43) fell two games behind in the National League Central after the Milwaukee Brewers won 8-2 in Washington. Gunnar Henderson's three-run homer off Cubs reliever Caleb Thielbar (2-3) allowed the Orioles (51-60) to spoil the Cubs' special day. Ryan Brasier gave up a hit and a walk to start the Baltimore rally. Entering the disastrous eighth, Cubs pitchers had shut out the Orioles for 16 straight innings in the series. Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd pitched a masterpiece for seven innings, allowing four hits and striking out eight. It looked like he was in prime position to improve to 12-4 overall and 10-0 at Wrigley this season. He wasn't happy with the loss but he also didn't blame the relievers. 'It was a good baseball game,' Boyd said. 'Caleb has been awesome for us. Caleb and Brase and our whole bullpen have been nails. They have been on amazing runs. 'Sometimes that happens. Gunnar Henderson is a very good hitter. This lineup is a good lineup, regardless of their record.' It was also a good game for Boyd to get back on track after a subpar performance Monday in Milwaukee in which he gave up five runs in five innings. The player who wore No. 23 at Sandberg's second base position, Willi Castro, made his Cubs debut and would have made 'Ryno' proud. Castro, who came to the Cubs in a trade-deadline deal with the Minnesota Twins on Thursday, had two hits and scored twice. He also made a flashy play at second when he threw out Jackson Holliday with his gloved hand in the sixth. Castro's first at-bat was a complicated single to left in the second. His liner to shallow left was first ruled a catch for Colton Cowser but was reviewed and ruled a trap. Castro eventually came home on Reese McGuire's sacrifice fly. Castro's liner in the fourth dropped and skipped by right fielder Jeremiah Jackson for a triple. He came home on Hoerner's single. 'This was one of the best fields that I played with the fans, the weather and I felt great,' he said. 'It was a tough loss today, but that's a good team.' Castro started at second and Hoerner moved to short to give regular shortstop Dansby Swanson a breather. Swanson had played a team-high 108 games through Friday. Manager Craig Counsell is happy to have a switch hitter in Castro who can play anywhere on the field. It allows him flexibility to give an overworked player rest or to fill in if there's an injury. 'Willi really had a nice debut,' Counsell said. 'He contributed to a couple of runs scored. But after we got the 3-0 lead, we missed some opportunities.' Right-hander Michael Soroka, who came to the Cubs in a Wednesday deal with the Nationals, reported Saturday and will start Monday against the Cincinnati Reds. Right-handed reliever Brooks Kriske was designated for assignment. With days off Thursday and Aug. 11, Counsell wasn't sure when Soroka's next appearance would be. The Cubs could get away with using four starters for a turn through the rotation. August will be an intriguing month for the rotation. With Jameson Taillon and Javier Assad possibly returning in the coming weeks, there could be an oversupply of starters with a few candidates moved to the bullpen. Having the extra arms will come in handy Aug. 12-24, when the Cubs play 14 games in 13 days, including a home doubleheader with the Brewers on Aug. 18. But Counsell isn't thinking too far ahead. 'Those are the type of decisions that you wait as long as you can to make them,' he said.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
New addition Willi Castro immediately shows his value as Cubs drop a tough one
CHICAGO – Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles was a stinging defeat. It was a game that shows why the Cubs bullpen additions will be important the rest of the way. Caleb Thielbar has been lights out for nearly the entire season, but gave up a critical three-run homer in the eighth inning to the Orioles best player, Gunnar Henderson. 'We had a matchup that we wanted,' manager Craig Counsell said. 'Gunnar Henderson's a really good hitter. Caleb got ahead of (Jordan) Westburg and Henderson and just couldn't put them away. A good hitter took a big swing.' 🚨 GUNNAR GO-AHEAD HOMER 🚨 — Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) August 2, 2025 Criticizing Thielbar for one poor outing is hard to do. He missed on a sweeper to an All-Star player and paid the price. To start the inning, Counsell went with Ryan Brasier to take on the bottom of the Orioles order. A pitcher who had walked three of the 78 batters he'd faced this season opened the eighth with four straight balls. Advertisement It was a rough loss. One that the Cubs will have to put behind them quickly. Nico Hoerner admitted this one was tougher than most, especially after Matthew Boyd threw seven brilliant shutout frames to set them up for what seemed like a sure victory. 'You can stick to the process as much as you want,' Hoerner said. 'But every day is incredibly important at this level, wherever we're at in the season. There's no beating around that. We're going to obviously bring it tomorrow and do everything we can to win a series. But every win you leave on the table stings for sure.' But these types of days aren't likely to be regular occurrences. The Cubs added pitching depth at the deadline to make sure their best relievers don't wear down. Lefty Taylor Rogers is going to be needed so Thielbar and Drew Pomeranz stay effective. Brasier has to perform so Brad Keller doesn't get overused. Andrew Kittredge being added to the mix is an upgrade, and on Friday, the righty showed that he can handle big moments. The pitching will be key for this team. But the acquisition of Willi Castro should not be overlooked. The versatile defender started at second base on the day, shifting Hoerner to shortstop and giving Dansby Swanson a much-needed day off. Along with making multiple nice defensive plays, Castro had two hits, including a triple, and scored two runs. 'Willi had a real nice debut,' Counsell said. 'Contributing to a couple of the runs scored for sure.' The Cubs started the day 3-for-4 with runners in scoring position, then ended it 0-for-5. The inability to cushion their lead ended up costing them on this day. But if Castro can impact the team in various ways, perhaps he can help limit these types of down moments over the final two months. Second base is just one of six positions Castro can play, giving Craig Counsell and the Cubs a unique weapon to deploy over the final two months of the season. He's a switch-hitter who can produce against both lefties and righties. Counsell called his skill set a 'rare trait' and exactly what this team was looking for at the deadline. Advertisement 'What he offers as a player, his versatility has been well-covered, but it's real,' Hoerner said. 'It's incredibly helpful for the group down the stretch as guys inevitably deal with little things. He's a quality starting player at a bunch of different places. The energy he brings too, he's a really positive and upbeat guy.' Wearing carefully curated eye black and a Cubs-branded headband, Castro stood at his locker after the loss. He mentioned how perfect the weather in Chicago was on the day – a sunny 74 degrees, illustrating the best the city has to offer on a summer day. A full ballpark and energized crowd at Wrigley Field was something he had rarely experienced in his career. He'd preferred to be speaking after a victory, of course, but it was easy to see why Hoerner believed he could bring the right vibe to the clubhouse. His unselfishness and willingness to play wherever he is asked evoke memories of Ben Zobrist, a winning player who would do whatever it took to help his team. 'That's something I really enjoy, playing other positions,' Castro said. 'As a player, I know it helps me a lot because it opens more doors for me. I like to play everywhere. I really enjoy every time I'm out there. Especially here, I feel great, I feel like home. We're gonna keep it going.' Swanson entered the day as the team leader in games played, having appeared in 108 of the Cubs 109 games. After Saturday's contest, Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong are now equal with Swanson. While Tucker has had days off from defense with time at DH, Castro can fill in for both guys, along with Hoerner, Ian Happ in left and Matt Shaw at third. 'We have a pretty regular group and Willi, as we go through August here, he can fill in at a lot of positions,' Counsell said. 'Those are hard players to find, there's not many players like that out there.' Advertisement For much of the season, the Cubs non-catcher bench pieces comprised of Vidal Bruján, Jon Berti and Justin Turner. While Turner has struggled when facing righties, he's done what's needed against left-handed pitchers, posting a 110 wRC+. Bruján had the versatility the Cubs desired, but was DFA'd earlier in the week after delivering a 43 wRC+. He's on the way to his fifth-straight season of negative WAR. Berti is in the midst of his worst season with a 44 wRC+. With that in mind, Counsell struggled to give his regulars rest. Now he can do so and not expect to get little in return on offense. When asked if he could optimize his lineups better depending on the matchups, Counsell quibbled with the wording. 'I don't know if I'd call it optimizing,' he said, 'as much as there's no drop-off.' That's imperative for the team. Guys are going to need to rest down the stretch and Counsell can't worry that the players he's giving time to won't produce. This is a deeper and more talented team. Even after a difficult loss on Saturday, the Cubs believe they're better positioned today than they were just a few days ago to chase down a red-hot Milwaukee Brewers team.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Byron Buxton looks to calm Twins' clubhouse after deadline moves
CLEVELAND — Every time Byron Buxton picked up his phone Thursday afternoon, there was a text message or news ping that one of his Minnesota Twins teammates was being traded. Two days later, Buxton was still trying to take in all the moves the Twins made as the front office made nine trades and turned over nearly 40% of the roster. Even though the All-Star center fielder is on the 10-day injured list with left ribcage inflammation, Buxton joined the Twins in Cleveland for this weekend's series as the franchise's clubhouse leader wanted to be there to provide support and be a sounding board for teammates. 'I mean ,trading nine guys like that is something that's not normal, so it was a little bit of a shock for sure,' Buxton said before Saturday's game. 'Right now, obviously, I haven't processed it. I don't know who has processed it, but something we'll talk about a little bit more at the end of the season.' Manager Rocco Baldelli said that having Buxton on the trip was important, not only for the support that he can give, but also because he remains on track to rejoin the lineup on Wednesday when the Twins are at Detroit. 'Keeping him with our trainers here and being able to get on the field here with the group when he's ready was important, but also the support that he's going to be giving the guys around him. Everybody looks to him, everyone looks to see how he'll respond to things, and he's a passionate guy. He cares about his teammates and his team and guys respect him immensely.' Buxton said he understands that baseball is a business and he anticipated moves were going to be made near the deadline. However, the amount of turnover was surprising. The Twins' most-significant move near the deadline was when shortstop Carlos Correa was dealt to Houston. Correa broke into the majors with the Astros and still has a house in Houston as he waived his no-trade clause. 'It's one of those things where you didn't think he was going to leave but with the opportunity that was ahead of him and just him being an Astro before, it's hard to pass that up in his situation. I couldn't be happier for him and his family. It is what's best for him,' Buxton said about Correa. While there are a lot of unknowns about the Twins as the team remains for sale, Buxton is trying to focus on the present. That includes making sure the new faces on the team can get acclimated quickly as well as trying to make sure the season doesn't spiral too much out of control. Minnesota won the AL Central in 2023, but missed the playoffs with an 82-80 mark last season. The Twins entered Saturday at 51-58 and on a three-game losing streak. 'These guys coming up, I don't want them to look at this as 'I finally got a shot.' You came up here because you want to win and you want to be better. So it's just playing together and having each other's backs is going to be the biggest thing going forward,' he said.
