Why Cubs "overachiever" could reportedly be moved at trade deadline

After losing yet another series opener on Tuesday night, the Chicago Cubs are reeling.

The Cubs are now 22-38 in their last 60 games, the worst in the National League. Though Chicago never intended to sell at this season's trade deadline, it's also becoming hard to envision a scenario where they buy.

However, the Cubs also aren't likely to punt on the season altogether. Therefore, a selling scenario would likely involve capitalizing on replaceable players whose values are at their peak.

Will Sammon, Patrick Mooney, and Katie Woo of The Athletic wrote an " MLB trade deadline watch " piece Wednesday. They profiled Cubs' lefty reliever Tyson Williams as a pitcher who could be on the move thanks to his surprising success of late.

"With so much of their roster underperforming, it could make sense for the Cubs to explore the possibility of selling high on some of their overachieving players," said the article.

Miller certainly fits the description of "overachiever." After debuting with the Cubs in 2020, Miller bounced around to five other teams before being designated for assignment by the Mariners. He then found himself traded back to Chicago on May 14.

Since then, Miller has been lights-out. In 16 appearances, he has a 1.53 ERA, 16 strikeouts, and a minuscule 0.62 WHIP. Not bad for someone who came into the season with just 31 innings pitched at the big-league level.

The Athletic also points out that the timing of a Miller trade could be ideal for Chicago, with a large group of injured pitchers trending toward a return. Ben Brown, Jordan Wicks, Julian Merryweather, and Mark Leiter Jr. could all be activated by the trade deadline.

Sometimes, baseball is about seizing the opportunity when it comes. Less than two months ago, Miller was scratching and clawing to stay in the league. Now, he could be on his way to pitching for a contender.

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