Josh Naylor trade opens the floodgates—Are the Cubs next? |
Dustin Riese
· · 21 hours ago
Would you look at that, a TRADE finally happened as the Arizona Diamondbacks have dealt first baseman Josh Naylor to the Seattle Mariners. This is by far the biggest trade of the deadline season thus far, and it could be the start of what was needed to open the floodgates.
When it comes to the Cubs, everyone is simply waiting for their first domino to fall, as they would love for this team to make some moves to take back first in the NL Central and never let up. Yet, one week away from the deadline, the Cubs remain quiet, as their patient approach has often hindered this team in the past. This is the season when they should be aggressive and do whatever is needed to improve their roster, even if it means overpaying for what they want. That happens, and at some point, you just need to man up and live with it, as you never know how long these successful seasons will last. When you look at the Cubs roster and what they are targeting, the one area that is popping up more now than it has in recent weeks is the addition of not only a bullpen arm, but one capable of pitching in the late innings. You have already heard the names David Bednar and Emmanuel Clase linked to the Cubs as potential deadline targets, as is Kyle Finnegan. However, today marks a brand new list of names that the Cubs now consider legitimate targets, as either addition would be a massive upgrade for the back end of their bullpen. The first name we will be discussing is a player who was briefly mentioned this offseason as a potential target for the Cubs at the trade deadline. Here we are, six months later, and once again, that name is popping up, as Pete Fairbanks is a name to watch with the Cubs in the coming days. The 31-year-old right-hander has had an interesting MLB career, but it is his body of work over the past few seasons with the Rays that has him now one of the premier targets on the market. Armed with a 97-98 MPH heater, paired with a lethal breaking pitch, there is a reason why Fairbanks has been a household name with the Rays for several years. Even with him having a bit of a down season, Fairbanks has still been extremely effective in his 38 innings, posting a 2.84 ERA. Despite that, there are some concerns, as his fastball velocity is slightly down this season, while his strikeout rate is significantly lower than in past seasons. Despite that, Fairbanks is still an elite contact-manager, though, with a microscopic barrel rate, a reasonable hard hit rate, and a groundball rate approaching 50%. He’s making about $4 million this year with a $7 million club option for 2026, and pairing him with Daniel Palencia would take care of the Cubs' bank end for the next two seasons. Now, for the newest name added to the Cubs' list of potential players, it is a name that may not be familiar to many: Seranthony Dominguez. Currently pitching for the Baltimore Orioles, the 30-year-old Dominguez has long been a solid reliever in the big leagues, but is more of a middle relief arm as opposed to a late-inning guy. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, as the Cubs could use another pitcher to get the ball to their high-leverage guys, and Dominguez is someone who could do that. His 3.63 ERA this season is 9% better than the league average by ERA, and that’s pretty much been his range consistently. Even if he isn't considered an elite reliever, this is someone every bullpen would love to have, as he has been as reliable as they come for years. Typically, a pitcher who strikes out close to 23% of the hitters he faces, Dominguez has seen a massive spike in his strikeout rate, as that is now approaching 30% this season. His walk rate has also increased to 14.5%, but that may not be the worst thing in the world, depending on the role he takes on. Some credit his newly discovered splitter as the reason for the higher strikeout rate, as well as the increased walk rate, as he has learned to become a different pitcher on the fly. Either way, these are two more names to keep tabs on, as it is only a matter of time until the Cubs make their first move in what could be a flurry of deadline moves.
