Proposed Trade Sends the Cubs a CY Young Winner After Justin Steele's Injury

The Chicago Cubs would land a Cy Young winning pitcher in this trade after Justin Steele went down with an injury.

Mar 12, 2024; Surprise, Arizona, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber (57) bats / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

The start of the season for the Chicago Cubs wasn’t exactly what the team was looking for. They played well against the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers, a promising sign moving forward. 

However, ace pitcher Justin Steele exited the game after 4 2/3 innings pitched with a left hamstring strain. Manager Craig Counsell announced after the game that Steele will get an MRI on Friday and will likely be put on the IL. 

Steele’s quietly one of the best pitchers in baseball, posting a sub-3.2 ERA in the past two seasons. His 2023 season was the best of his career, tossing 131 1/3 innings with 176 strikeouts and a 3.06 ERA. 

Losing him for an extended period of time puts the Cubs in a tough position moving forward, perhaps changing the entire outcome of their season. 

In an effort to minimize the loss of Steele if he’s out, adding another high-end arm should be on Chicago’s mind. Of the potential arms to trade for, Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Guardians is a name to look out for.

Dayn Perry of CBS Sports believes the Cubs will land him at the deadline, giving the team another legitimate arm as they head into the second half of the season.

“I'll say the Cubs land him at the deadline (yes, I'm assuming the Guardians move Bieber even if they're in contention). Chicago may wind up in a tight race for the NL Central crown, and adding Bieber to a rotation that could probably use some help toward the front end seems like a possibility.” 

Bieber’s best season came in 2020, posting a 1.63 ERA and winning the Cy Young. His 2022 season was also very impressive, throwing 200 innings and posting a 2.88 ERA.

In his first start of the season, the right-hander looked healthy, which was a concern coming into the season. Bieber struck out 11 in a win against the Oakland Athletics.