The Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Royals have shown interest in acquiring starting pitcher Paul Maholm from the Chicago Cubs, as Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago reports. After a shaky start to the season, the lefty has been a key part of Chicago's recent success over the past few weeks.
During the offseason, the Cubs signed Maholm away from Pittsburgh on a relatively cheap one-year deal. The 30-year-old doesn't have overpowering stuff, with a fastball that averages just 87.6 miles per hour according to FanGraphs, but he has great command and induces lots of groundballs.
Over his past five appearances, including four starts, Maholm has a 0.90 ERA with 20 strikeouts and four walks in 30.1 innings. The Cubs have won all five of those games, with the lefty's increasing trade value around the league being a nice added bonus.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more comprehensive coverage, visit Cubs blog Bleed Cubbie Blue. For more MLB coverage, check out Baseball Nation as well as MLB Daily Dish.