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%.

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.

The Chicago Cubs have reportedly been in trade talks with the Seattle Mariners, and while Emerson Hancock’s breakout season and control through 2030 present an intriguing option, he doesn’t have the same track record, talent, or upside as his teammate George Kirby. And now, a few days before the trade deadline arrives, teams think they have a shot at trading for Kirby.

While the Mariners have been shopping veteran starter Luis Castillo in addition to Hancock, teams across the league believe Kirby can be acquired, which comes as a pleasant surprise for the Cubs. This team doesn’t just need a solid pitcher for the stretch run and to fortify the rotation beyond 2026, the Cubs need a difference-maker in the rotation. Kirby can provide that for the right price.

Although the Cubs haven’t been specifically connected to Kirby just yet, you have to assume he’s been brought up while discussing Hancock with the Mariners.

Kirby, 28, is under team control through the 2028 season. The right-handed starter was an All-Star in 2023, and while his strikeout rate has declined in 2026, Kirby is still a premier power pitcher in MLB.

His fastball sits at 96.7mph; he doesn’t walk hitters; his 5.0 BB% ranks 6th-best among starting pitchers; and he keeps the ball on the ground, producing a 45.7% ground-ball rate through 20 starts this season. Kirby is coming off a bad start against the Texas Rangers on July 27, allowing seven runs in four innings, but in his previous 19 starts, the righty had a 3.57 ERA with 104 strikeouts in 116 innings.

The Cubs are projected to acquire multiple arms by Monday night, with three pitchers being their ultimate goal. They’re in the market for rentals, and Jed Hoyer will always look for cost-controlled pitchers as well. Last offseason, it was Owen Caissie as the headliner in a trade that brought in Edward Cabrera from the Miami Marlins. Kirby did have a shoulder injury in 2025, but he hasn’t had any issues since returning, and his track record is much more established than Cabrera’s, so the price will be higher if the Cubs want to strike a big deal with the Mariners.

At the very least, you get the idea that the Cubs will come away with a solid starting pitcher at the trade deadline because, regardless of the asking price, it seems as though there are more pitchers available this time of the year compared to 2025.

If you were waiting for a report to finally connect the Chicago Cubs to Tarik Skubal, The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney delivered on Wednesday night. Now, whether you believe the Cubs will actually have the aggressive mindset to execute a trade for Skubal, or if they even have enough to entice the Detroit Tigers to make a deal, is still up for debate.

But hey, Cubs fans, Mooney gave us a cookie, becoming the first reporter to say yes, the Cubs obviously need to trade for a starting pitcher, and Skubal will certainly be considered.

Via The Athletic.

In a wide-ranging search for pitching reinforcements, the Chicago Cubs are considering Tarik Skubal as their blockbuster option ahead of Monday’s trade deadline, according to several baseball officials who were granted anonymity to candidly discuss a still-developing market.

Crossing that threshold for a deal will be difficult for the Cubs, especially if organizations with deeper farm systems, such as the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers, make Skubal a priority.

It will be tough, but if the Cubs get creative, then there is a path to getting Skubal by Monday’s trade deadline.

First, what do the Tigers want in return? By all accounts, the Tigers’ main priority would be to acquire a young, cost-controlled starting pitcher, but of course they won’t be saying no to any top prospects regardless of position from any team that calls for Skubal.

At 51-58, the Tigers are currently six games back of first place in the AL Central and 4.5 games back of the third Wild Card spot in the American League; however, they’d have to catch six teams. They would love to get back a pitcher who can immediately slide into the rotation in place of Skubal; while no one will be able to match his production, their hope is that they can still remain competitive in 2026.

If the Tigers are steadfast on getting a starting pitcher who can help them this year, then it might be difficult for the Cubs to get into the conversation. He puts up good numbers and is under team control through 2028, but Javier Assad isn’t moving the needle. Jaxon Wiggins, who began the year as the Cubs’ top prospect and a consensus top-100 prospect, has been sidelined most of the year, and when he has pitched, he’s been wild.

But if the Tigers know that they have little to no chance of getting into the playoffs this year and truly want the best talent for their future, then the Cubs have a shot.

I’ll preface this by saying that it all depends on how aggressive and how desperate the Cubs feel about 2026. Yes, they’re currently in second place in their division, but they have the No. 3 offense in baseball, the best position group in MLB above the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the highest-rated defense. Getting the best starting pitcher on the market could arguably put them over the top in October.

With that being said, do the Cubs dare to offer Cade Horton? Ben Brown? It’s always tough making deals that involve injured players. Horton had Tommy John surgery back in April, and he may not return until the second half of 2027. Brown has been dealing with a neck strain, and at this point, he may not come back until September at the earliest. Still, they are very talented pitchers with success at the major-league level, and they’re under team control for several years.

The Cubs may need to include one of them in order to join the Skubal sweepstakes, but it wouldn’t stop there. Matt Shaw would probably be on the table with a few other prospects.

If the Tigers aren’t fans of Horton or Brown, then the Cubs would have to offer up their No. 1 prospect, Josiah Hartshorn, in a package that would also include Wiggins and Shaw. If you think that’s too much, then it’s enough to get the best pitcher in baseball. Yes, even for two months, about 12 starts in the regular season, and a few more in October, it could very much be worth it for the Cubs.

We’ll see just how much risk Jed Hoyer is willing to endure at the trade deadline, but just know that if you’re a Cubs fan who wants Tarik Skubal, it’s going to hurt.