The Chicago Cubs were expected to do well this season and work their way into postseason play. So far, they’ve been living up to those expectations.
For the most part, the team had been riding feel-good waves of momentum, until they got hit with some true buzzkill news– ace Justin Steele would have to undergo season-ending elbow surgery.
The news hit Cubs fans hard and it has sent the team scrambling to find a starting rotation replacement for their most consistently excellent starter.
Although the team is still doing well, recently going .500 on a tough West Coast road trip against the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, it’s only a matter of time before the weight of losing Steele begins to bog them down.
The Chicago Cubs Will Need To Make A Big Trade
The consensus feeling is that the Cubs will pursue some sort of trade between now and the July 31 trade deadline to replace their lefty ace at the top of the rotation. There’s also some support for the idea of picking up a more steady hand at third base as a full-time replacement for the recently demoted Matt Shaw.
In a recent appearance on 670 The Score, MLB Insider Bruce Levine expressed his belief that the team would indeed be “all-in” when it comes to acquiring the talent they need to push their way into (and hopefully through) the playoffs.
Per Levine:
“I think everything’s pointing in the right direction. Injury-wise, obviously, you lose one of your top pitchers, they’re out there looking at probably four or five of what they consider to be the best pitchers available…It’s not going to be any surprise if they make a move for it, it just depends on how much of their minor league system are they willing to trade to win this year. They’re “all-in,” you know?
I think they’re playing a game of Texes Hold’em and the Cubs are “all-in” this year. So, I expect Hoyer to do everything he can to bring in some top pitching…and maybe even a third baseman along the way. Who knows? By the time August rolls around, we’ll see how that position shakes out with the three or four guys vying for time right now.”
With that in mind, the question shifts to who the Cubs will target and who they will have to give up to get them.
Targeting Pitchers
With the loss of Steele, the main target for Chicago has to be starting pitching– specifically, high-end, top-of-rotation arms.
There are a number of potential trade targets out there. The Miami Marlins’ rehabbed Sandy Alcantara, with a proven track record and two or three years of team control, is obviously the biggest dream catch potentially on the market.
The Seattle Mariners’ Luis Castillo was briefly tied to a Cubs trade in the offseason and will be a potential target if he’s put on the market by the deadline. He’s under team control through the 2027 season, with a vesting option for 2028.
The Minnesota Twins’ Joe Ryan could also be an appealing addition as a 28-year-old, seemingly entering into his pitching prime and with years of team control left.
Tyler Anderson of the Los Angeles Angels should also be a target, even though he’ll hit the free agent market at the end of this 2025 season.
There will be other names out there, but as Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer recently pointed out, most teams will not be entertaining deals until closer to the deadline when the market drives up potential asking prices.
What About A Third Baseman?
It seems less likely that the Cubs will go all-out in pursuing a third baseman. Between Gage Workman, Vidal Brujan, Jon Berti, Justin Turner, and the hope of a returning, retooled Matt Shaw, the team has options.
Unless someone unexpected is suddenly put on the trade market, there’s just not a lot out there better than what the team already has internally. In some fantasy worlds, the St. Louis Cardinals may consider a trade with their NL Central rivals for Nolan Arenado, but that’s highly unlikely.
And what will a trade deadline deal cost the Cubs?
Expect at least one, and maybe two, of the organization’s top 5 prospects to be traded away, as well as some other well-regarded farm system assets.
But if the Cubs are “all-in” when it comes to winning this year, they’ll have to give away a chunk of their future now.
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