If the Chicago Cubs are looking for a lightning bolt to jolt their season up to the next level, they might want to consider taking a lesson from recent, franchise-altering history.
At 37-22, the Cubs currently have the third-best record in MLB and a 4.0-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals for first place in the NL Central division. The team’s success has been spurred primarily by an offense that has spent the entire season near the top of the league in runs scored per game.
Pitching, meanwhile, has been a struggle, with MLB analysts making the relatively easy prediction that Chicago will seek more arms before the trade deadline. And according to Jed Hoyer, Cubs’ president of baseball operations, it doesn’t really matter if those arms are more accustomed to pitching during the beginning, middle, or end of games.
“To quote our manager [Craig Counsell,] ‘We just need to get outs,’” Hoyer said when asked about prioritizing the rotation or the bullpen for potential improvements.
Which is where the history lesson could come in handy. Because there is a pitcher, potentially available via trade, who has made a long career of getting outs. Who has earned a reputation for ending late innings before they even get started. Who has built a Hall of Fame case by doing things that very few other pitchers do.
Who was instrumental in helping the Cubs snap a 108-year title drought.
With the trade deadline just under two months away, speculation has started to grow over a potential reunion between the Cubs and hard-throwing Boston Red Sox reliever Aroldis Chapman.
Acquiring Reliever Aroldis Chapman ‘Makes A Lot of Sense’ for Chicago
On July 25, 2016, Chicago sent a quartet of players, including shortstop Gleyber Torres, to the New York Yankees for Chapman, who was dominant during the last two months of the regular season and the playoffs, helping the Cubs win their first World Series title since 1908. Newsweek contributor Drew VonScio suggests that bringing the band back together for another title run in 2025 “makes a lot of sense.”