The Cubs knew they needed to added bullpen help, particularly from the left side, prior to the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline, and on Wednesday they did just that in a trade with the Mariners. Going to the Cubs will be lefty reliever Mike Montgomery and Triple-A starter Jordan Pries. Headed to the Mariners are minor-league slugger Dan Vogelbach and minor-league right-hander Paul Blackburn.
Montgomery, 27, boasts an ERA of 2.34 (174 ERA+) and a K/BB ratio of 3.00 in 61 2/3 innings this season. Across parts of two big-league seasons, he's shown fairly neutral platoon splits. That plus the fact that he has a remarkably deep repertoire for a reliever (he throws five different pitches with some regularity) means he's more than just a lefty specialist. Indeed, this season almost 70 percent of his batters faced have been right-handers.
Pries, 26, is a Stanford product who has been in the minors for parts of six seasons. Over that span, he's put up an ERA of 4.41 and a K/BB ratio of 2.83. He's made 43 career starts at the Triple-A level, so he could potentially provide the Cubs with some rotation depth down the stretch.
Vogelbach is the big get for Seattle. The 23-year-old former second-rounder owns an OPS of .875 after more than 2,000 minor-league plate appearances. This season, he's hit .318/.425/.548 with 16 homers in 89 games for Triple-A Iowa. That level of production at the highest rung of the minors suggests he's ready for the big leagues. He's a very well-rounded hitter who uses the whole field and boasts excellent power. Vogelbach is a first baseman, but his large body type (6-0, 250 pounds) may mean he's a DH sooner rather than later. The Mariners as an AL team are obviously able to accommodate that need, should it arise.
The 56th-overall pick in the 2012 draft, Blackburn, 22, has pitched to a 3.21 ERA and 2.27 K/BB ratio across parts of five minor-league seasons. Of his 82 games pitched, 78 have been starts. In 2016, he's been at the Double-A level.
As for near-term trade deadline consequences, this would seem to remove the Cubs from the list of teams with potential interest in Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman of the Yankees. For Seattle, this may suggest they'll be looking to move some spare parts prior to Aug. 1 but no one who would compromise their ability to contend in 2017.