Chicago Cubs reportedly focused on one particular young pitcher at deadline

The Chicago Cubs are still looking for that arm (or those arms) that would fortify a pitching staff decimated by injury and help push the team through a successful postseason run.

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Rumored targets Tarik Skubal and Luis Castillo are now off the market, picked up Saturday by the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox, respectively.

Chicago does reportedly have a backup plan if they can’t land the front-of-rotation starter they’ve been pursuing. However, first, it would appear that they have a very firm Plan B before reaching for their Plan C.

“Locked in” on Reid Detmers

Reid Detmers, potential Chicago Cubs trade target — May 30, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers (48) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays in the first inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

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According to Matthew Trueblood of North Side Baseball, Chicago is “locked in” on Reid Detmers of the Los Angeles/Anaheim Angels.

Per Trueblood:

“Increasingly…the team is ‘locked in on Reid Detmers,’ a source said. Neither Jed Hoyer nor Carter Hawkins ever forecloses options before it’s necessary, and neither likes to negotiate from a position of weakness, so they’ll hold a firm line on the price, but they view Detmers as the best fit and the surest way to improve their roster both this season and over the next two. The sticking point, so far, is that the Angels want two of the team’s top prospects, including catcher Owen Ayers; the Cubs want to find a way to get the deal done without sending Ayers.

That’s a peculiar level of attachment to a 25-year-old who has climbed from High-A to Triple-A this season, but Chicago believes in Ayers’s ability to catch and in his bat. They think he could be their starting catcher next season, and are eager to work out an alternative structure that gets them Detmers without losing him. They would sooner trade infielder Pedro Ramírez, but the Angels prefer Ayers, a source said.”

Detmers has been tossed around by fans and media for quite a bit as a logical trade target for the Cubs. The 27-year-old southpaw has a 3-7 record with a 4.03 ERA for the last place Angels, but his FIP—which is, arguably, a truer measure of how well he’s actually pitching—is 3.35.

Maybe just as important, he’s under team control through the 2028 season, working with a very affordable contract.

Urgency and the accompanying high price

Chicago Cubs, Cubs News, Cubs Prospects, Owen Ayers — Nov 9, 2025; Mesa, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs catcher Owen Ayers during the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Acquiring a starter with years of team control is reportedly a primary focus before the deadline as starting pitchers Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, and David Peterson are eligible for free agency at the end of this season and it’s unclear whether Cade Horton, who underwent Tommy John surgery in April, will be able to pitch at all in 2027.

The Angels, though, will make any trade for Detmers as painful as possible for the Cubs.

The Cubs are embracing Ayers as someone who could possibly make an impact on the big league squad as soon as next season. And with Carson Kelly likely to move on as a free agent, they’ll need support for Miguel Amaya behind the plate.

Could the Cubs’ reported interest in the Angels’ other ‘for sale’ team-controlled pitcher Jose Soriano be an indication that the asking price for Detmers is too steep?

As always, time will tell.

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