Chicago Cubs top trade target may be off the table

The Chicago Cubs are staring down an interesting dilemma as the August 3 MLB trade deadline approaches.

They are definitely in the mix when it comes to making the playoffs, firmly in second place in the NL Central Division, but still in the top National League Wild Card spot.

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Given the brutal state of their pitching staff and the wild wave of injuries that brought them there, Chicago will have to go out and make some important pitching acquisitions by the deadline.

The team must also keep one eye on the future when dealing for arms, as starters Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, and David Peterson are all to become eligible for free agency at the end of this season, along with relievers Hoby Milner and Caleb Thielbar (plus, position players Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Carson Kelly, and Michael Conforto).

In a perfect world, anyone the Cubs pick up at the deadline would also be someone they could count on for 2027 and/or beyond.

Joe Ryan, not going anywhere?

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Unfortunately, the Minnesota Twins’ right-handed starting pitcher Joe Ryan, who’s under contract through the 2027 season and has been repeatedly pegged as an ideal target for the Cubs’ front office, may now be off the table entirely.

On Friday, a trade between the Twins and the Toronto Blue Jays likely established the fact that Minnesota will be buyers, not sellers, as the deadline approaches. In trading catcher Ryan Sprock for veteran reliever Tommy Nance, the team signaled their intent to fortify rather than auction off. They are currently just 3 games out of first place in the AL Central Division and well in the mix for a Wild Card spot.

The 30-year-old Ryan would’ve been a smart addition for the Cubs, given his success this season (2.85 ERA through 19 starts) as well as the fact that he could be penciled in as a rotation piece next season.

There are still some high-profile starting pitchers, fitting the Ryan contract mold, potentially on the trade market, such as the Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara and the Angels’ Reid Detmers. But, actually, the Marlins, who are nine games above .500 and currently qualifying for a Wild Card spot, may not be sellers this deadline, either.

Cubs not as aggressive at deadline as predicted?

There’s also the reality that the Cubs may not be as aggressive at the deadline as many think they might be (and should be).

“It has been a really up-and-down season,” Hoyer recently told The Athletic. “There’s no reason to think that’s the way the rest of the season is going to go. It could go that way, or we could just proceed to level things out, and I hope we do. But, yeah, this is a really important stretch. The market will dictate a lot of those things. But, of course, our play is going to dictate a level of aggressiveness.”

“You have to look at how your team is playing,” Hoyer added, “how you are relative to .500. How are your underlying numbers? How is your health? You have to understand your own team.”

Looking at little in the way of available starters with years of team control ahead and sporting a reluctance to spend prospect capital on a three-month rental arm, the Cubs may disappoint a lot of fans with their additions at the trade deadline.

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