Cubs reportedly interested in pair of Twins relievers

Matt Blewett - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 6 hours ago

Now that the All-Star Break has arrived, it's time to dive fully into the Trade Deadline season. Most outlets have been doing so for over a month, as the rumor mill has been churning out names. However, this is crunch time, as the next few weeks will be filled with rumors and potential deals.

When it comes to the Cubs, not only are they expected to make some moves, but they are expected to be one of the most, if not the most, active teams at the deadline, and you can understand why. This is a club that has been in first place since April 6th, but despite having one of the best records in the National League, its division lead has been cut to one game.

A big reason for that is a starting rotation that continues to go through the injury bug, as Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, Javier Assad, and Shota Imanaga have all missed time this season. Imanaga is back, but the other three are either done for the year or, at the very least, the foreseeable future. That makes trading for a starter crucial for the second half.

Along with that, the Cubs' inability to hit left-handed pitching has been an issue all season, as has been the lack of production at third base. Why not kill two birds with one stone and make a run at Eugenio Suarez if possible? As crucial as those moves would be, you can bet the Cubs are going to add a bullpen arm as they would like to make the back of their pen deeper than it already is.

To the Cubs' credit, they have turned their season around since late-April as the emergence of Drew Pomeranz, Brad Keller, and Daniel Palencia has not only saved this team's season, but has helped turn this bullpen into one of the best in the game. That alone is promising, but adding to the pen would make them all the more dangerous, which is where the Twins come into play.

Despite losing two of three to Minnesota last week, the Twins are still an under .500 team going through financial troubles, so selling off some of their high-prized players could be a priority. Guys like Willi Castro and Pablo Lopez remain high on the list, but with Lopez hurt, it may be hard to deal with him.

As tough as things have been for the Twins this season, they do have one of the better bullpens in the game with Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran as two of the more dynamite arms in the late innings. It shouldn't come as a surprise that multiple teams are showing interest in either of them, and the Cubs appear to be one of those teams.

Jax was once viewed as the Twins' top pitching prospect when he was drafted, and after a strong run of success in the Minors, was given a shot in their rotation. However, things didn't pan out the way he or the Twins had hoped, as his struggles in the rotation led to his being sent back to the Minors, where he made the transition to a bullpen arm.

That move alone may have saved his career, as he has posted a 3.22 ERA since making the move in 2022 and has emerged as one of the game's best setup men. Jax also has a 30.3% strikeout rate and a 50.3% ground ball rate during this time, and has continued to show the ability to use his 97 MPH heater paired with a lethal slider to get hitters out from both sides of the plate.

This season, Jax has had his issues at times, going 1-4 across 44 games pitched and a 3.92 ERA. He has walked 10 and struck out 66 across his 41 2/3 innings, so the overpowering stuff is still there. A change of scenery could help him round back into form.

Duran, on the other hand, is the bigger of the two names as the 27-year-old closer remains one of the best in baseball. Armed with a 100-plus MPH heater and lethal breaking ball, Duran has been nails at the closer position for several seasons and paired with Palencia would make the Cubs nearly impossible to score on late.

Since making his big league debut in 2022, Duran has posted a 2.38 career ERA with a 31% strikeout rate and close to 64% groundball rate. That combination of not only missing bats but also keeping the ball on the ground is hard to match, and he would play well at Wrigley Field.

Despite never topping 27 saves in any of his four MLB seasons, Duran hasn't had the opportunity to save many games, as he has registered 78 career saves up to this point. This season, especially, has showcased Duran at his best, as he has gone 5-4 with 15 saves through this point, posting a 1.66 ERA in just over 43 innings.

With that comes 16 walks and 49 strikeouts, as the walk rate is slightly up while the strikeout numbers are slightly down. Still, should Duran become available at the deadline, he is going to be one of the hottest commodities on the market, and his addition to any roster will make their bullpen better.