According to Ken Rosenthal, the Cubs recently discussed a three way deal that “never got close” but would have “amounted to a bombshell if it had come to fruition.”

Rosenthal’s sources indicated the Cubs talked to the Padres about Drew Pomeranz before he was traded to the Red Sox for Anderson Espinoza. The Cubs would not have kept Pomeranz, he would have been flipped to an unknown team for a starting pitcher “whose name is not out there publicly and is probably not going to go anywhere now.”

It’s no secret the Cubs would like to acquire a young starting pitcher that would be under team control for several years. And the pitcher the Cubs would have acquired from an unidentified third team would have had more than Pomeranz’s two years of control. Pomeranz is under team control through the 2018 season.

According to Rosenthal, the Padres wanted Javier Baez in the deal, which should not come as a surprise. The Padres were interested in Baez last summer in talks for Tyson Ross. The Cubs are not interested in trading Baez and believe that would have been too high a price pay for Pomeranz. Rosenthal explained, “The second part of the deal … the spinning of Pomeranz for the unidentified starter … would not necessarily have worked, either.”

As Rosenthal pointed out, this information confirms the Cubs are looking for young, controllable starting pitching. The front office is willing to shake up what has been a very good rotation for a majority of the season. And the Cubs are exploring every possible way to add talent to the roster.

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