The Chicago Cubs have been one of the more interesting teams to follow in the league this year. They entered the offseason as a bit of an afterthought, but once the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals appeared to take steps backward, the Cubs leapt at the opportunity to make a move in the National League Central.
They took some significant steps in the offseason, including the blockbuster trade for Houston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker. The Cubs also acquired Ryan Pressly, among others, but it was the addition of Tucker — plus the continued emergence of Pete Crow-Armstrong — that really sent Chicago to the moon.
Chicago has been one of the better teams in baseball, entering play on Thursday at 35-20 thanks largely to a gangbuster offense, and there doesn't seem to be much getting in their way. As long as they can hold off the surging Cardinals, it appears the NL Central should be theirs. With the trade deadline coming up, the Cubs will need to make some important decisions.
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Will the Cubs be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline?
The Cubs will absolutely be buyers at the trade deadline. The bigger question to answer is how aggressively they'll buy this season.
Since they brought in Tucker, it's seemed like they're in a serious win-now mode. But with Tucker's contract expiring at the end of the season, it might be in the Cubs' best interest to target players with a few years of team control at the trade deadline rather than expiring contracts.
This could allow the Cubs to put all their money toward re-signing Tucker in the offseason while also pushing the team in the right direction for this syear and moving forward. But which players fit that bill?
Who are the top trade targets for the Cubs?
1. RHP Sandy Alcántara
The first name on the list will likely be a controversial one. Sandy Alcántara has been on quite the roller-coaster ride for the last few years; he's gone from winning the NL Cy Young award in 2022 to elbow surgery to now holding an ERA near 9.00 so far this season.
If Alcántara is going to cost the Cubs two arms and two legs on the trade market, they should stay away from him. But if the Miami Marlins are willing to move their erstwhile ace for three or four top-30 prospects while the Cubs hold onto their biggest names, a deal would make sense.
At his best, Alcántara would be one of the better pitchers in baseball. At his worst, he's seemingly unpitchable. But his underlying stuff still seems strong, and he comes with one more year of reasonable team control plus a team option for 2027. If he finds it again the further he gets from his injury, he's a game-changer; if he doesn't, Chicago can move on after next year.
2. RHP Felix Bautista
The next name on this list is also recovering from Tommy John surgery. Baltimore Orioles closer Felix Bautista hasn't been quite as dominant this season as he was before his operation, but he's still shown flashes of his old excellence.
On the year, he holds a 3.78 ERA with eight saves in nine attempts. He's been elite nearly across the board except for his horrendous walk rate, which has come back to haunt him a few times. If he can lower his walk rate to the 10-12 percent range again, the righty could be a dominant closer for the Cubs until 2028. And we know that command is the last thing to come back after major elbow surgery, so there's reason to believe he'll get better as the year goes along.
3. RHP Luis Castillo
While the first two players on this list were a bit risky, the third player isn't. Luis Castillo of the Seattle Mariners would be a great addition for the Cubs. He doesn't come with the risk that Alcántara and Bautista have coming off arm surgery, although the Mariners righty is a bit more expensive to pay each season.
He's signed through the 2027 season with a vesting option in 2028. For the length of his big-league career, he's been the epitome of consistency while flashing Cy Young level excellence from time to time.
The Cubs would be bringing Castillo back to the NL Central after he played a chunk of his career with the rival Cincinnati Reds. Adding the former Red would bolster Chicago's rotation quite a bit this season.