We’ve been waiting to hear the trade deadline targets for the Chicago Cubs bullpen, as the starting pitching market has received most of the attention during the past couple of weeks. Fans finally got some names via The Athletic, and while actions will ultimately speak for themselves, Jed Hoyer is reportedly aiming high for high-leverage upgrades.
The Cubs have not been known to go out of their way to acquire big-name relievers, settling on under-the-radar relief arms for years, but maybe the onslaught of injuries has changed the front office’s mindset in 2026. Daniel Palencia is recovering from an arm injury. Hunter Harvey hasn’t pitched since early April, and Phil Maton has been one of the biggest disappointments of the year, struggling to perform in any role and unable to shake off a nagging knee injury.
Maybe the Cubs get an unexpected boost in September with the return of Ben Brown, Justin Steele, and Shelby Miller, but it doesn’t look like the team is banking on that, which the Cubs shouldn’t be, with the trade deadline giving them an opportunity to add more certainty to the back end of the bullpen. In 2025, Andrew Kittredge and Taylor Rogers were the main bullpen pickups. The Cubs went 1-for-2, as Rogers wasn’t really a factor, but Kittredge ended up as one of Craig Counsell’s most trusted relievers.
Now? The Cubs are reportedly interested in the trade candidates that will immediately appease the fan base. According to Sahadev Sharma, the Cubs prefer to trade for relief pitchers who have the ability to strike out batters at a higher rate than what they’re currently getting in the bullpen. Entering Saturday, the Cubs’ bullpen ranked 21st in MLB with a 21.4 K%.
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Via The Athletic.
But if the San Diego Padres decide that they could be sellers — or do a hybrid buy-sell deadline — lefty Adrian Morejon would be a target.
As for high-velocity righties with big strikeout rates, Luke Weaver (New York Mets) and Jeff Hoffman (Toronto Blue Jays) fit the mold. Both are under control for 2027, as well, at $11 million. Do the Cubs want to pay the prospect price for either and be on the hook for such a large amount for a bullpen piece in 2027? It’s not the team’s style, but Chicago is still at least showing interest.
The San Diego Padres are still hanging around in the Wild Card race, one game behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the last playoff spot. It seems unlikely that a pitcher as great as Adrian Morejon would be traded, but I guess you never know what San Diego’s GM A.J. Preller has up his sleeve.
Morejon, a left-handed reliever, has been exceptional over the past three years, generating a lot of ground balls and plenty of strikeouts.
2024: 2.83 ERA, 51.4 GB%, 26.1 K%, 7.7 BB%
2025: 2.08 ERA, 53.1 GB%, 24.5 K%, 5.9 BB%
2026: 3.14 ERA, 61.3 GB%, 27.0 K%, 6.3 BB%
The New York Mets are clear sellers, while the Toronto Blue Jays seem motivated to move some of their players in what’s been a truly dreadful World Series hangover for them.
Luke Weaver has a 1.88 ERA with the Mets in 43 innings with a 26.5 K%. The right-hander has been in the majors since 2016, but he didn’t become a consistently reliable pitcher until 2024. Weaver became a postseason star with the New York Yankees that year, recording a 1.76 ERA in 15.1 innings.
He hasn’t really been a ground-ball pitcher throughout his career, but so far in 2026, Weaver has a 43.9 GB%.
It’s also important to point out that the Cubs have been connected to Mets’ starting pitchers Freddy Peralta and Clay Holmes. Could Hoyer take a big swing here and knock out two birds with one stone?
Finally, Jeff Hoffman. The 2024 All-Star had a couple of rough months in his first year with the Blue Jays in 2025, but he eventually put it back together to finish out strong, although fans in Toronto will mostly remember the ninth-inning home run that he gave up in Game 7 of the World Series. That could have shaken his confidence because Hoffman struggled to begin the 2026 season and by the last week of April the Blue Jays removed him from the closer role.
Yet, since April 26, Hoffman has been stellar, posting a 2.97 ERA, and he’s improved even more since June, recording a 1.27 ERA with a 33.3 K% in his last 21.1 innings. Overall in 2026, Hoffman’s strikeout rate of 35.2% ranks No. 5 among all qualified relief pitchers.
So, we’ll see if the Cubs will actually get out of their comfort zone and close the deal on any of the top relievers available on the trade market.
