MLB trade rumors: Cubs interested in Mets' Seth Lugo

The Cubs are one of many teams to be interested in Mets pitcher Seth Lugo, reports to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.

Lugo, 27, excelled in his short stint in the majors last season, putting together a 2.67 ERA in eight games (six starts) in 2016. While the 2017 season has seen Lugo's ERA jump to 4.10 in 52.2 innings, he's done a nice job pitching deep into games with six quality starts in eight outings as a member of the rotation. Lugo is under team control through the 2022 season.

Lugo dealt with elbow trouble that caused him to miss the first two months of the season, so the Cubs are probably looking to see if they can buy low on a guy with elbow trouble. Newsday’s Marc Carig cautions that a deal involving Lugo is unlikely at this point, with the Mets unlikely to listen on controllable arms.

Obvious sellers at this year's deadline, the Mets are known to be shopping Asdrubal Cabrera, Addison Reed, and Jay Bruce. However, the club is not expected to move ace Jacob deGrom despite rumored interest from the Astros.

According to Crasnick's report, the Cubs may be higher on Lugo than other clubs. In a minor league system that has been depleted due to promotions and trades, the Cubs are searching for impact rotation arms that will stick with the club past 2017. Hoping to contend for years to come, Chicago has also shown interest in Tigers' Justin Verlander and Athletics' Sonny Gray.

The Cubs kicked off their deadline additions by acquiring starter Jose Quintana from the White Sox one exchange for a four-prospect package headlined by Baseball America top-100 prospects Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease. For a full set of all of this summer's deadline trades, click here.