Cubs-Rays trade pitch sends $5.72 million veteran hurler to Chicago

The Chicago Cubs have been one of the best teams in Major League Baseball this season.

At 45-28, the Cubs are tied with the New York Mets for the second-best record and hold a six-and-a-half game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the National League Central.

The Cubs offense is top 5 or top 10 in just about every category, and despite losing Justin Steele for the season and Shota Imanaga suffering a hamstring strain on May 4, the pitching staff has stepped up in a big way.

The bullpen has been the best unit in MLB since April 19 and starters Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd and Cade Horton have dealt.

Ben Brown is shaky and Colin Rea has his moments, but the Cubs need to be aggressive at the trade deadline to boost the starting rotation.

MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand listed 14 trade candidates and their potential landing spots, and the Cubs were a fit for an American League veteran starter.

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Right-hander Zack Littell from the Tampa Bay Rays is an impending free agent and could be a solid rental for Chicago.

“The 40-33 Rays currently hold the top Wild Card spot in the American League and sit only 2 1/2 games behind the Yankees in the AL East, but Tampa Bay has a history of buying and selling based on players’ contract situations, making Littell – an impending free agent at the end of the season – a potential trade chip,” wrote Feinsand.

Littell, 29, is 6-7 with a 3.88 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP in 15 starts this season. He leads MLB in hits allowed and home runs allowed, which may hurt his trade value.

Summertime Wrigley Field is a flyball pitcher’s nightmare, but Littell would probably be a better option than Brown in the rotation.

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