There’s not much mystery regarding what the Chicago Cubs hope to acquire by July 31 trade deadline. Everyone around the league knows about the team’s issues in the starting rotation.
According to team insider Bruce Levine, the Cubs may be addressing that need very soon. During an appearance Monday on 670 The Score with the Mully & Haugh Show, the MLB analyst indicated that the team is reportedly nearing a deal.
“The Cubs are looking at adding that pitcher that we’ve been talking about, and it appears they’re getting closer to identifying some of these teams that are out of it that want to trade,” Levine said. “So I wouldn’t be shocked over the next week or 10 days, much before this trading deadline, maybe as early as this week, that they make a move for another starting pitcher.”
While nixing the idea that the Cubs could be in pursuit of Miami Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara, Levine did note that his sources say the team is targeting “a good, young, veteran pitcher.”
“They’re going for it,” Levine stressed. “They’re proactive.”
Cubs ‘Getting Closer’ to Addressing Need in Starting Rotation
It certainly makes sense, as the Cubs have been maxing out a rotation of band-aid fixes for much of 2025.
Justin Steele was lost for the season after Tommy John surgery. Shota Imanaga is expected to return this week after missing significant time with a hamstring problem. Javier Assad suffered a late April setback in his recovery from the oblique injury that has kept him out since spring training, and the team has offered no recent update on his rehab.
As for the pitchers who have been making starts, Jameson Taillon is the only one that has consistently pitched to expectations, but he is at best a No. 3 starter, and more likely No. 4, on a team with October plans.
Matthew Boyd appears to have avoided anything major with the shoulder concern that halted his previous start. However, with a 2.84 ERA through 15 starts that is nearly two runs better than his career average, can the Cubs realistically rely on more of the same from the 34-year-old left-hander?
Colin Rea was an early season surprise out of the bullpen, boasting a sub-3.00 ERA after his first seven starts, but he has given up four earned runs or more in four of his last six outings, suggesting the magic may have worn off. Top prospect Cade Horton has impressed in his MLB debut, but the inevitable growing pains make it difficult to rely him being a leader in the pennant race. Ben Brown has struggled in his first full season as a starter and could soon be removed from the rotation.
Suffice it to say that the Cubs are in need of a reliable arm, and that may not be all they are targeting, as Levine suggested Chicago is also interested in fortifying a corner infield spot.
“With all due respect to Matt Shaw and how he’s playing third base, do you add a right-handed hitting third baseman, and is that a bigger part of a trade?” Levine opined. “Those are things we should keep our eye on.”
In particular, the Cubs may want to cast that glance toward Phoenix, as the Arizona Diamondbacks present a potential opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.
Cubs Could Make Strong Push for Arizona’s Zac Gallen, Eugenio Suarez
At 40-38, Arizona is just 2.5 games away from the third wild card spot, but there are four other teams ahead of them in a battle for that spot. Plus, with the losses of pitchers Corbin Burnes and Justin Martinez to UCL injuries, and the fractured wrist recently suffered by All-Star outfielder Corbin Carroll, Arizona faces a hard reality.
Chicago could utilize that reality with a strong trade offer for a pair of pending free agents in starting pitcher Zac Gallen and third baseman Eugenio Suarez.
The 29-year-old Gallen had been one of the top starters in the National League, but he has struggled in his last season of arbitration. After three consecutive seasons of double-digit wins and sub-.400 ERAs, including a 2023 campaign in which he went 17-9 with a 3.47 ERA and finished third in the Cy Young voting, Gallen is 5-8 with a 5.60 ERA after 16 starts. In 91.2 innings, Gallen has given up 87 hits and 41 walks with 86 strikeouts.
Suarez, who is playing out the club option on the seven-year, $66 million contract he initially signed with the Cincinnati Reds, is slashing .251/.323/.569 and is currently fourth in MLB with 25 home runs and second with 67 RBIs. A likely All-Star, Suarez, who will turn 34 on July 17, recently hit his 300th career home run, and he was just named NL Player of the Week for the third time this season.
Trading for both players would require the Cubs to reach deep into their pool of prospects, but the pieces are there.
Outfielders Owen Caissie (No. 2 prospect) and Kevin Alcantara (No. 4) are both MLB ready and would fill a need for an Arizona team with Lourdes Gurriel, Randal Grichuk and Alex Thomas manning the spots and no outfield prospects on deck. Double-A pitcher Jaxon Wiggins (No. 9) has impressed this season, and his Knoxville teammate Brody McCullough (No. 23) has also been mentioned as a potential trade chip. A package featuring one of the pitchers and one of the outfielders along with High-A utility player James Triantos (No. 6) could be enough to get it done.
But for a team selling its fans on a World Series run, especially given the uncertainty surrounding Kyle Tucker’s future in Chicago, it is imperative that the Cubs get it right at the trade deadline.
Cubs Find Trade Partner in NL West for ‘Proactive’ Acquisitions