The Chicago Cubs came into the season with a lack of pitching depth. Once the team acquired expiring outfielder Kyle Tucker, the need to add pitching depth became very important as the Cubs' window to win the World Series is much clearer with Tucker on the roster.
But the Cubs haven't done much to upgrade their starting rotation and their depth problem just got a lot worse.
Justin Steele recently suffered an elbow injury and he's set to undergo season-ending elbow surgery in the near future. Steele was one of the better arms on Chicago's roster and they'll be without him for the entire season.
If the Cubs are serious about winning this year, they would call the Miami Marlins and discuss a trade for $56 million ace, Sandy Alcántara.
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This Cubs-Marlins trade sends Sandy Alcántara to Chicago for loaded prospect haul
It's only a matter of time before the Marlins trade Alcántara. He was the National League Cy Young winner in 2022, but underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023. After missing all of last season, he's back in 2025 and looking a lot like his old self.
A trade Alcántara would be quite expensive, but it's the price the Cubs need to pay if they want to overtake the Los Angeles Dodgers and win the World Series.
The Cubs would need to part ways with three of their top six prospects to bring in the righty, but Alcántara has multiple years of affordable team control left on his contract, so the trade would be well worth it.
Cade Horton and Owen Caissie are two MLB-ready prospects with the potential to burst on the scene this season. The Cubs could find roles for them on the big-league club, especially Horton, as soon as this week.
Kevin Alcántara and Cole Mathis are wild card prospects. Alcántara has all the tools to be a big-league star, but he hasn't put all the pieces together yet. Mathis has the talent, but he hasn't played enough pro ball to get a good gauge on what he will be later in his career.
For the Cubs, this would be another massive prospect haul to give up. But at this point, it's time to go all in. Acquiring Alcántara would put the Cubs even higher up in the league and it would give them a real chance to dethrone the Dodgers.