With trade buzz heating up, Cubs shouldn’t sleep on Taj Bradley |
Dustin Riese
· · 19 hours ago
By now, the Cubs will likely be attached to virtually every trade rumor out there, and that trend is expected to continue until the deadline. From Sandy Alcantara to Eugenio Suárez and others, you have heard it all as the Cubs continue to be mentioned as one of the more aggressive teams on the market.
However, one name that hasn't been mentioned and needs to be is a pitcher a lot of people have forgotten about in Tampa Bay, right-hander Taj Bradley. In a recent article listing the Cubs' top-15 trade deadline candidates, 13 of the 15 players mentioned were pitchers, and six of them deemed the Cubs their best fit or the team with the best chance to acquire them. Alcantara and Mitch Keller were on that list, as expected, but so were Kris Bubic, Seth Lugo, and Edward Cabrera, all of whom are deemed the perfect fits for the Cubs. Lugo and Bubic are two names to keep an eye on this week as the Cubs are playing the Kansas City Royals, and depending on how their rotation shakes up, they could see one of those arms before the deadline. The sixth name mentioned as having the Cubs as the most likely team to acquire him comes from Bradley, and of all the names mentioned, he could be the most intriguing one for both the long and short-term outlook. The 24-year-old righty is not only one of the youngest, if not the youngest, starting pitchers to potentially be on the market, but has multiple years of control left to help build your rotation around. While his overall numbers of 6-6 with a 4.35 ERA don't look great, when you dive under the hood a bit more, you notice that the peripherals are much better, as he has an expected ERA of 3.56. That would make him an ideal fit to be the Cubs' No.3 in their rotation both now and when Jameson Taillon comes back from his injury. Since breaking into the league in 2023, Bradley has had his moments, but with a 19-25 career record over 66 starts and a 4.58 ERA, the results haven't been what the Rays were expecting. Command, especially this season 41BB/95K, has always been an issue, but Bradley has the stuff to not only be a good starter, but a front-of-the-rotation starter if things come together. Take what he has done against the Cubs in his two career starts. Not only has he gone 12 2/3 innings in two career starts against the Cubs, he has yet to allow an earned run and has scattered just six hits in those two starts. What stands out even more is his high strikeout rate, as he has 19 strikeouts in those 12 2/3 innings, to go with only three walks. That alone is why the Cubs may be taking a longer look at him than most, as they have seen firsthand how good Bradley can be if he is on top of his game. Like Luis Severino and many of the pitchers playing in Sacramento, Bradley has struggled at home, as the Rays are also playing in a Minor League park this season. Away from Tampa, Bradley has posted a 3.76 ERA, which would play as a middle-of-the-rotation arm. Known for his 96-97 MPH heater, Bradley continues to develop into a more complete pitcher as he continues to work on his offspeed offerings. Knowing that he still has four years of control after this season, it makes taking a swing at him all the more intriguing, as we have seen in the past that the Rays aren't afraid to move players. Considering the Cubs and Rays got together last season in a trade that sent Christopher Morel and Hunter Bigge to Tampa in exchange for Isaac Paredes, these teams aren't afraid to go out and make moves. Jed Hoyer has a relationship with the Rays and their GM, while also having the prospects the Rays are looking for to continue operating the way they have. With the Rays on the verge of being sold, some deals could be off the table, but what new owner would turn down an opportunity to land a couple of top-100 guys to be part of the next wave of young Tampa Bay players? Either way, the fans must be thrilled to have the Cubs continue to be linked to a variety of players, as things are about to get busy in a hurry.
