Cubs Trade Rumors: Verlander, Archer on Team's Radar
By James Neveau ••
The floundering Chicago Cubs are one of the teams that could be active at the MLB trade deadline later this month, and they have been attached to some of the biggest names on the market.
The Cubs, who sit at 41-42 and trail the Milwaukee Brewers by three and a half games in the National League Central, have dealt with consistency issues and injuries in their starting rotation, and they also have seen their bats go silent at times as their World Series title defense has been a rocky road through the first half of the season.
So which players could end up coming onto the Cubs’ radar as the trade deadline approaches? Here are some of the names that have been attached to the team in recent days.
Chris Archer, Tampa Bay Rays
Archer, whom the Cubs traded to the Rays in a deal that brought Matt Garza to Chicago, could look to reacquire the talented starter, but there will be some snags that will have to be dealt with.
To start with, the Rays are currently in a three-way tie for the second wild card spot in the American League, and they may not be looking to sell at the trade deadline. What’s more, Archer is currently on a very team friendly contract, under team control until the end of the 2021 season at no more than $8.25 million per season.
Those factors will raise his price considerably, and the Cubs may not like what they hear in negotiations should they choose that route.
After the Cubs cut loose Miguel Montero, there have been reports tying them to Avila, a veteran catcher who could be a solid back-up for Willson Contreras.
So far this season, Avila has 11 home runs and 29 RBI for the Tigers, batting .308 with an OPS of .992 in 208 plate appearances. Those are outstanding numbers for a catcher, and if the Tigers end up selling before the deadline, he could make for a very attractive piece for the Cubs.
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2017 has already been a historic year in Chicago sports, and we're keeping track of all the records and accomplishments of athletes in the Windy City with our Chicago Sports Yearbook.
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In 11 starts, Mitchell Trubisky threw for more passing yards than any Bears rookie quarterback in team history.
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Vincent Hinostroza and Tommy Wingels both scored in the same game, marking the first time ever that two Illinois born players scored for the Blackhawks in one contest.
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Blackhawks rookie Alex DeBrincat set a Blackhawks rookie scoring record by potting 10 goals in the month of November.
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The Bears only managed six rushing yards in their loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, their second-worst total in team history.
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The Chicago Bulls haven't had many losses like the one they suffered against the Warriors, losing by 49 points in the third-worst loss in team history.
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Jason Heyward became just the second Cubs outfielder to ever win multiple Gold Glove awards, joining Andre Dawson in that exclusive club.
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Northwestern won three straight overtime games this season, setting a new NCAA record in the process.
Chicago Bulls rookie Lauri Markkanen knocked down 10 three-pointers in his first three career games, making him the first player in NBA history to do so.
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No player in NFL history had ever racked up two 75-yard defensive return touchdowns in the same game.... until Eddie Jackson did it against the Carolina Panthers.
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Tarik Cohen threw a touchdown pass against the Baltimore Ravens, making him the shortest player to throw a TD pass since Wee Willie Smith did it in 1934.
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By playing in 150 games in the 2017 season, Kris Bryant became the first Cub, and 11th player in MLB history, to appear in 150 or more games in his first three big league seasons.
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White Sox slugger Jose Abreu became the third player in MLB history to hit 25 or more home runs and drive in 100 or more RBI in each of his first four seasons, joining Joe Dimaggio and Albert Pujols in that exclusive club.
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Talk about youthful exuberance: the Cubs are the first team in MLB history have five players age 25 or younger hit 20 or more home runs in a single season.
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A left-handed Cubs player hadn't played third base in over a century.....until Anthony Rizzo did it in the ninth inning of a game against the Cincinnati Reds.
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Tim Anderson and Leury Garcia led off back-to-back games with home runs for the White Sox, becoming the first pair of teammates to hit lead-off homers in back-to-back games for the White Sox.
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Anthony Rizzo blasted a grand slam with three runners on and no one out in the first inning, making him the first Cub since 1939 to achieve that remarkable feat.
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Notre Dame and Wisconsin have not played each other in football since 1964, but that will change soon as the teams will play at Lambeau Field in 2020 and at Soldier Field in 2021.
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Jon Lester notched his 2000th career strikeout and his first career home run in the same game, making him just the second pitcher to ever hit both milestones in the same contest.
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In his Chicago Cubs debut, Jose Quintana struck out 12 batters and gave up zero runs in seven innings. He became the first left-handed pitcherto start games for both the Cubs and White Sox in the same season, and he also became the second pitcher to post back-to-back 10 strikeout performances for two different teams in the same season, joining Randy Johnson.
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Jon Lester not only failed to make it out of the first inning in a start for the first time in his career, but the 10 runs the Cubs gave up were the most they'd given up in a first inning in nearly 20 years.
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Ian Happ smacked a grand slam and struck out four times against the New York Mets in a blowout Chicago Cubs win, making him just the fifth player in MLB history to accomplish that feat.
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For the first time in 60 years, DePaul and Illinois will square off on the basketball court when they battle at State Farm Arena in Champaign this fall.
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On the 70th anniversary of his first game at Wrigley Field, Jackie Robinson was honored as his number 42 jersey was hoisted to the top of the right field foul pole at Wrigley Field.
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The Vegas Golden Knights will play their first NHL season in 2017, and the Chicago Wolves will be their first ever AHL affiliate.
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With his home run against the St. Louis Cardinals, Ian Happ became the fifth Cubs player in the last 10 years to have his first Major League hit be a home run.
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John Lackey needed to come up with a big performance for the Cubs in this game, and he did as he struck out 10 batters in seven shutout innings. He became just the second visiting pitcher to ever post numbers like that at Coors Field, joining Pedro Martinez in that exclusive club.
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In an 18-inning game, the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees pitching staffs combined for 48 strikeouts, which set a new MLB record. It was one of three records set by the teams during the marathon game.
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When he won the Red Tilson Trophy, given to the OHL's best player, Blackhawks prospect Alex DeBrincat became the first Blackhawks product to win the award since the legendary Stan Mikita won it in 1959.
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When he started in Game 5 of the Chicago Bulls' first round series against the Boston Celtics, Canaan became the first player in over 20 years to start a postseason game for the Bulls after not starting a single game during the regular season.
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On this date, the Cubs and White Sox picked up massive blowout wins, with the Cubs winning 14-3 and the White Sox winning 12-1. The occasion marks the first time that both teams had won games by 10 or more runs on the same date since June of 1987.
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In Game 3 of the Blackhawks' series loss to the Nashville Predators, Patrick Kane scored his 50th playoff goal as a member of the team. By doing so, he became just the fourth player in team history to score 50 or more playoff goals in a Blackhawks jersey.
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The Chicago Blackhawks don't get shutout very often in the playoffs, but their back-to-back home losses to the Nashville Predators made a bit of remarkable history. The losses were the first time since the 1935 postseason where the Blackhawks were shut out in the opening two games of a playoff series.
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Needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, the Chicago Bulls got exactly that as they thumped the Orlando Magic by 47 points. The win is the third-biggest blowout in Bulls history
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En route to winning their eighth national championship in school history at the Frozen Four, the University of Denver got a big boost from Jarid Lukosevicius, who recorded a hat trick in the victory . The hat trick was the first in a national title game in nearly 25 years, with Maine's Jim Montgomery (coincidentally, Montgomery coached this year's Denver squad) being the last to do it back in 1993.
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Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant got off to a rough start in the 2017 season, going 0-for-13 to start the year . That made him the first reigning NL MVP to start the season with that bad of a slump since another Cubs player, Ryne Sandberg, did it in 1985. Bryant ultimately went 0-for-14 before registering a single against Milwaukee on April 7.
Chicago Cubs pitcher Koji Uehara celebrated his 42nd birthday on April 4 by becoming the fourth pitcher in Cubs history to appear in a game for the team at the age of 42 or older. Hoyt Wilhelm (48 years old), Charlie Root (42), and Dutch Leonard (43) are the other three pitchers to accomplish the feat.
In the 90-plus year history of the Chicago Blackhawks, no player had ever scored 30 or more goals in each of his first two NHL seasons.....until Artemi Panarin scored a goal against the Colorado Avalanche on April 4 to notch his 30th tally of the season.
By sending Yadier Molina to first base on April 2 against the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon became the first skipper ever to issue an intentional walk without having his pitcher throw a single pitch, taking advantage of a new MLB rule.
The Chicago Blackhawks had only won 50 games in a single season once before in their history until they beat the Columbus Blue Jackets for their 50th victory of the 2016-17 season. The last time they accomplished the feat? In 2010, when they won the Stanley Cup.
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Patrick Kane notched his 50th assist of the season in a win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, becoming just the fourth Blackhawks player in history to achieve that feat four or more times in his NHL career.
It had been over five years since the Blackhawks had lost by seven goals in a game, and it had been over 15 years since the last time they'd lost 7-0. They ended both of those streaks with a 7-0 loss to the Florida Panthers.
Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson signed a six-year deal with the White Sox worth $25 million, the richest deal ever signed by a player with one or fewer years of MLB experience.
For the first time in school history , Northwestern University made the NCAA tournament, and they beat Vanderbilt in their first ever tournament game before losing to the top-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs in the second round.
For the final time, the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings played at Joe Louis Arena , and the Red Wings sent the Blackhawks away in defeat as they picked up a 4-2 victory.
His contract was only worth just a shade over $1 million, but when he signed it, the one-year deal that Kris Bryant inked was the richest ever given to a player not yet eligible for arbitration.
One of the weirdest streaks in the NBA is the Chicago Bulls' winning streak in games televised by TNT , and that streak ended up hitting 20 games before the end of the 2016-17 season.
When Taj Gibson left the Chicago Bulls, he relinquished his title as the longest-tenured Bulls player, handing it off to Jimmy Butler. Meanwhile, the Chicago Blackhawks grabbed a stranglehold over the longest tenured athletes in Chicago, with Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook currently sharing the honor.
For only the second time in franchise history, the Chicago Fire will host the MLS All-Star Game in Chicago this summer , bringing the game to Soldier Field for the first time.
By virtue of their 3-13 season, the Chicago Bears will pick third in the 2017 NFL Draft , their highest pick since the 1972 season.
It was a lost season for the Chicago Bears in 2016, but rookie Jordan Howard was a bright spot, setting a team record for rookie rushing yards in his freshman campaign.
Sonny Gray, Oakland Athletics
This rumor is a bit older, but according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, the Cubs are one of four teams that could be looking to pry Gray away from the A’s before the trade deadline.
Gray, originally drafted by the Cubs in 2008 (he never signed a contract with the team and was selected by the A’s in 2011), has a 3-4 record with a 4.09 ERA this season, and although he had a really strong 2015 season, injuries and inconsistency have plagued him at times in his young career.
Even still, Gray’s young age and potential upside could lure teams like the Cubs into the race, and there may be another added incentive too: dealing for Gray would keep him away from teams the Cubs will be competing with for a playoff spot.
Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
According to MLB.com’s Jon Morosi, the Cubs have reached out to the Tigers about potentially acquiring Verlander, and although there would be issues in doing so, there is a good deal of upside to be had as well.
Verlander has an ERA of nearly five this season, but with his long history of success and his durability in his career, he could be a good bounceback candidate for the Cubs. What’s more, he has a contract that the Cubs could likely convince the Tigers to eat salary on, and that would help them remain financially flexible both heading into the deadline and into the 2017 offseason.
