The Chicago Cubs need a third reliable starting pitcher, and the Kansas City Royals have the man for the job in last season's Cy Young runner-up, Seth Lugo.

The Chicago Cubs are in a rough patch and have seen their National LeagueCentral lead give way to the Milwaukee Brewers. Chicago’s recent struggles canbe traced back to their starting pitching, which hasn’t been good in July.

Cubs Reportedly Discussing Trade With Royals to Bolster Rotation originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Chicago Cubs are no longer sitting comfortably atop the National League Central. After Chicago held the lead since April 4, an 11-game winning streak by the Milwaukee Brewers has placed the two teams in a tie for first place.

Matt Shaw and Pete Crow-Armstrong hit solo shots for the Cubs, who entered tied with Milwaukee for first place in the NL Central and the best record in the majors.

PCA is batting .308 in July, cashing the Over 1.5 total bases in five straight. Crow-Armstrong had a pair of multi-hit games against the Boston Red Sox over the weekend before finishing 1-for-4 on Tuesday with a double against the Royals.

Its Wednesday, July 23 and the Royals (49-53) are in Chicago to close out their series with the Cubs (60-41). Seth Lugo is slated to take the mound for Kansas City against Colin Rea for Chicago.

With the July 31 Trade Deadline coming up, this week marked an important one for the Royals. If they wanted to pave their way out of being sellers at the Deadline, the team needed to take care of business against the Cubs to begin the week.

Our Royals vs. Cubs predictions and MLB picks for Tuesday, July 22, 2025 focus on the excellent pitching of Matthew Boyd.

Matthew Boyd pitched seven crisp innings for his 11th win, and the Chicago Cubs spoiled Rich Hill’s return to the majors with a 6-0 win over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night. Nico Hoerner, Dansby Swanson and Matt Shaw each had two hits as Chicago ended a two-game slide.

If the Chicago Cubs make the postseason, adding another quality starter who can slot into a playoff series would make them a serious World Series threat.