Rumor: The Chicago Cubs Have Inquired About John Lannan

Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer really do love them some pitching depth.

The duo has inquired about Washington Nationals starter John Lannan, who didn’t make the Nats’ Opening Day rotation. Nationals manager Davey Johnson recently said Lannan would not be traded, but GM Mike Rizzo was a bit more gray: “The last thing I told [Lannan] was, ‘You’re going to help us in the big leagues this year or someone else in the big leagues this year.'”

Lannan, 27, is in his second year of arbitration-eligibility, and was recently demoted to AAA. His demotion was something of a surprise, given his past success and big-league contract. The Nationals decided instead to go with Ross Detwiler in the rotation to start the year, seeing the possible upside in Detwiler as higher than Lannan (if this sounds like a parallel to Randy Wells and Jeff Samardzija, it should). Lannan subsequently requested a trade (something you almost never hear about in baseball), and I imagine that the Cubs – like many teams – inquired, sensing an opportunity to buy low.

For that reason, I’m not sure how much this rumor has in terms of a deal getting done, even if it’s almost certainly an accurate rumor.

And then you’ve got to consider whether trading for Lannan makes any sense for the Cubs.

Unless the Cubs are interested in adding Lannan – a career starter who makes $5 million this year – to be a reliever, I can state unequivocally that adding Lannan would be the precursor to another trade, or would, itself, be a part of a larger trade. How can I be so sure? Well, Ryan Dempster, Matt Garza, and Paul Maholm are not going anywhere, with respect to the rotation. The Cubs are thrilled with Chris Volstad’s upside as a starter, so it’s hard to see him being bounced from the rotation. And then there’s Jeff Samardzija, the guy who worked all offseason to become a starter, and in whom the Cubs had enough faith as a starter to justify sending Randy Wells to AAA. Where would Lannan go?

The answer is nowhere. Not unless another starter or two (considering Randy Wells is just sitting there at AAA) is going to be traded. Perhaps the Cubs would try to spin Lannan off for a prospect or two (ones in whom the Nats don’t have interest for whatever reason).

That is all to say that there are ways that trading for John Lannan could make some sense for the Cubs (and, I’ve said for a long time that I think we’re going to see this front office try to make the rotation more left-handed as time goes on, because of the way Wrigley Field plays for left-handed hitters (it’s like Coors Field for lefties)), but only if it is paired with another move or two.

As for whom the Cubs would give up, the obvious name is Marlon Byrd. The Nats have been looking for a center fielder for some time, and Byrd is a good one, in the final year of his deal (in which he’ll make $6.5 million). Straight up, Lannan has quite a bit more value than Byrd, but if the Cubs ate some of Byrd’s salary, it could make some sense. I have a hard time seeing the Cubs giving up valuable prospects to acquire Lannan given their already-existing glut of back-end starter types.

written by

Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

more cubs news

Now We Know Why Ian Happ Was Removed Mid-game

In the top of the seventh inning of today's 8-3 win over the Miami Marlins, Alexander Canario trotted out to left field in place of Ian Happ. At first, we thought (or maybe just hoped) that Craig Counsell was giving...

Enhanced Box Score: Cubs 8, Marlins 3 – April 19, 2024

And just like that the Chicago Cubs are the first team in the NL Central to reach 12 wins! They're not technically in first place yet because the Brewers (11-6) have played fewer games, but we're talking about a matter...

Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson with Back-to-Back Slick Defensive Plays

With a lefty Marlins starter on the mound this afternoon, Nico Hoerner lead off today's game for the Chicago Cubs. And he did it in style, ripping a leadoff double to the left-center field wall, before coming into score a...

Pre-Gamin’: Marlins at Cubs – Lineups, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

*The Cubs were rained out yesterday, but today? Today, we've got a Friday 1:20 start at Wrigley Field, and that means all is right in the world. Before you take a look at the Cubs lineup against Miami, check out...

MLBits: The White Sox Might be the Worst Team Ever, What Games I’m Watching this Weekend, More

Happy Friday! Well, for everyone except for the pilots who were supposed to be manning the Colorado Rockies flight last week but instead allowed a member of the Rockies coaching staff to hop in the pilot's seat for a fun...

Can I Interest You in a Positive Injury-Update on Justin Steele?

Justin Steele, arguably the single most irreplaceable player on the Chicago Cubs 2024 roster, went down with a hamstring injury just 4.2 innings into his Opening Day start against the Rangers on March 28. In his place, the Cubs sixth...

FAA Reportedly Investigating How a Passenger on Colorado Rockies Team Flight Was Seen Accessing the Cockpit

If you do this job long enough, it's really wild to see the range of topics that can somehow become attached to sports. That is to say, I did not envision myself at some point writing about flight safety, cockpit...

Cubs Farm Report | April 19, 2024: Kevin Alcántara is Heating Up!

The Iowa Cubs were rained out, but the rest of the farm was in action, and so was Kevin Alcántara, who picked up four hits and now has seven in his last three games as he breaks out of an...

It’s Not Kyle Hendricks Last Chance (But…), Ben Brown, Jameson Taillon, and Other Cubs Bullets

Well, the rain stole one from us yesterday, which is a blessing and a curse. On the bright side, the bullpen gets an extra day of rest (on top of the day Hayden Wesneski bought them). But on the flip...

The Chicago Cubs Are Not Stealing Bases So Far This Year

The Chicago Cubs are against theft. Of bases: https://twitter.com/codifybaseball/status/1781046629103231339 The Chicago Cubs this year have stolen just three bases, the fewest in all of baseball. Dansby Swanson has stolen two bases, Nick Madrigal has stolen one. That's it. I don't...

Latest News

Reds vs. Angels Probable Starting Pitchers – April 20

The Cincinnati Reds (10-9) host the Los Angeles Angels (9-11) for a home game at Great American Ball Park on Saturday. First pitch is at 6:40 PM ET.The probable starters are Graham Ashcraft (2-1) for the Reds and Patrick Sandoval...

Braves vs. Rangers Probable Starting Pitchers – April 20

After winning their past five games, the Atlanta Braves (13-5) host the Texas Rangers (11-10) at Truist Park on Saturday at 7:20 PM ET.The probable pitchers are Charlie Morton (1-0) for the Braves and Nathan Eovaldi (1-1) for the Rangers.Braves...

Orioles vs. Royals Probable Starting Pitchers – April 20

The Kansas City Royals (13-7) and the Baltimore Orioles (12-7) square off at Kauffman Stadium on Saturday at 7:10 PM ET.The probable starters are Corbin Burnes (2-0) for the Orioles and Cole Ragans (0-1) for the Royals.Orioles vs. Royals Pitcher...

Guardians vs. Athletics Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Saturday, April 20, 2024

The Cleveland Guardians (14-6) are set to take on the Oakland Athletics (8-12) Saturday at 6:10 PM ET, airing on NBCS-CA. The Guardians are listed as -170 favorites by oddsmakers, while the underdog Athletics have +141 odds for the contest.Cleveland's...

Phillies vs. White Sox Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Saturday, April 20, 2024

Following a two-homer game last time out, Alec Bohm leads the Philadelphia Phillies (12-8) into action as -320 favorites against the Chicago White Sox (3-16). First pitch from Citizens Bank Park at 6:05 PM ET on Saturday, live on NBCS-PH.Zack...

Phillies vs. White Sox Probable Starting Pitchers – April 20

The Philadelphia Phillies (12-8) look to add to a four-game winning streak as they host the Chicago White Sox (3-16) at 6:05 PM ET on Saturday.The probable starters are Zack Wheeler (0-3) for the Phillies and Mike Soroka (0-2) for...

Guardians vs. Athletics Probable Starting Pitchers – April 20

The Oakland Athletics (8-12) visit the Cleveland Guardians (14-6) for a road game in Cleveland on Saturday. The contest begins at 6:10 PM ET.The probable pitchers are Logan Allen (2-0) for the Guardians and Alex Wood (0-1) for the Athletics.Guardians...

FanDuel Promo Code for $150 Bonus, NBA Playoff Odds, and More for Saturday

It's that time of the year again – playoff season in the NBA kicks off TODAY, promising months filled with relentless excitement! New users are in for a treat with an amazing FanDuel promo code offer. By signing up today,...

Knicks vs. 76ers: Free Live Stream, TV Channel, How to Watch

In Game 1 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs, the New York Knicks will go up against the Philadelphia 76ers.In their last time out, the Knicks won on Sunday 120-119 against the Bulls in overtime. The 76ers' last...

Dodgers vs. Mets Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Saturday, April 20, 2024

The New York Mets (11-8) and Harrison Bader, coming off a four-hit game, are underdogs (+156) on the moneyline and will look to upset the Los Angeles Dodgers (12-10) on Saturday at 4:05 PM ET on WPIX.Los Angeles' Gavin Stone...

more cubs news