The Chicago Cubs are interested in acquiring disgruntled Washington Nationals left-handed starting pitcher John Lannan, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. The Nationals optioned Lannan to Class AAA Syracuse right before the start of the season, prompting the lefty to ask Nats GM Mike Rizzo for a trade. Wittenmyer added to the trade rumors swirling around Lannan by reporting that the Cubs have inquired and would be willing to part with Marlon Byrd:
Still on the lookout for pitching help in particular, the Cubs, according to a major-league source, inquired again about Washington Nationals left-hander John Lannan, who asked for a trade after being sent to the minors this week when he lost the Nats' fifth-starter job to Ross Detwiler.
The Cubs already had talked to the Nationals about lefty pitching, including Lannan and former Cub Tom Gorzelanny, the source said, with Cubs center fielder Marlon Byrd included in those discussions.
The 27-year old Lannan made 128 starts for the Nationals over the last four seasons, and in 2012 he started 33 games while producing a 3.70 ERA and 0.9 Wins Above Replacement (rWAR), according to Baseball-Reference.com.
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