The Chicago Cubs have been tied to several starting pitchers as the MLB trade deadline approaches. Sandy Alcántara, Seth Lugo, and Mitch Keller have all been mentioned by insiders as pitchers that the Cubs have checked in on. There are also rumors that they could pursue Merrill Kelly, Edward Cabrera, or Zac Gallen. Here is a look at the team’s options and which would be the most beneficial.
Lugo could have been an option for the Cubs. Since his transition from the bullpen in 2023, Lugo has been one of the most reliable starters in baseball. This season, he is 7-5 with a 2.95 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 113 innings. Lugo would have been a solid pickup, but he would have probably been a rental. He had a player option for 2026 at $15 million that he probably would have declined to cash in in free agency. Lugo came off the board today, though, when Kansas City extended him for two years and $46 million and a vesting option for 2028.
Everyone was talking about winning the Alcántara lottery until it came time to buy a ticket. Alcántara was an ace before his Tommy John surgery in October of 2023. His return this year has not gone well. He is 5-9 with a 6.66 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 104 innings. Alcántara’s K/9 this season is a career low, his walks are up, and opponents are hitting .270 against him. He is a shadow of his former Cy Young-winning self. Buyer beware on this one.
Keller may be one of the better options for the Cubs. He is signed through 2028, and he has been fairly consistent. He will give you 30 starts a season and a decent number of strikeouts while minimizing walks. Keller is 4-10 this season for a bad Pirates team, but he has a 3.53 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 125 innings. He has the look of a pitcher whose stats would greatly improve on a winning team with a much better defense. Keller has pitched exceptionally well against the Cubs’ primary division rival, the Brewers, over the past two years, as well. He is definitely an option.
From 2019 to 2024, Gallen was one of the best starting pitchers in the National League. He finished in the Top Ten in the NL Cy Young voting three times and averaged more than a strikeout per inning while maintaining an ERA of 3.29. Then 2025 happened. Gallen has given up the most earned runs in the league, 79, and he sports an ERA of 5.60. He is not the only Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher to underachieve this year, and that has been the main reason the team may sell at the deadline. So, do the Cubs take the risk that his performance is a sign of things to come, or do they evaluate him based on his prior résumé?
With Gallen, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Brandon Pfadt all having bad years and Corbin Burnes on the shelf, Kelly has been Arizona’s most consistent starter. Kelly has put up a 9-6 record and a 3.22 ERA with 122 strikeouts in 128 2/3 innings. Like Gallen, Kelly’s contract is up at the end of the season, so both players are rentals. Kelly is only making $7 million this season, so the Cubs might be able to afford to extend Kelly and still have money left to work on a long-term deal for Kyle Tucker.
A name that has slipped under the radar lately is Cabrera. With everyone talking about Alcántara, Cabrera has taken a backseat in Miami. The 27-year-old righty is having his best year, going 4-4 with a 3.48 ERA for a Marlins team that has quietly won eight of its last eleven games. Cabrera has averaged 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings for his career and has posted a career low of 3.1 walks per nine innings this season. His problem has always been injuries. Cabrera is on pace to start more than 20 games for the first time in his career this season. He is making less than $2 million, and his contract is up at the end of the season.
At this point, Alcántara is damaged goods, and one has to wonder if there isn’t something wrong with Gallen, as well. Keller has the most controllable years and has been the most durable, but he is also the most expensive. His contract has more than $55 million left on it. If Justin Steele, Javier Assad, and Jameson Taillon all come back healthy, a rental to get through this season might be all Chicago needs. The number one goal has to be to have enough money left after the trade deadline to sign Kyle Tucker to an extension.
The Cubs could also use bullpen help. So, a cheaper rotation option is probably best. If the goal is just to get the team through this season, Cabrera and Kelly are the two best options. Cabrera is much cheaper and would allow more wiggle room to address the bullpen and still make a strong pitch to Tucker. In Cabrera, you get a power arm that can touch 100 mph with his sinking fastball at a very affordable price. He mixes in an effective slider, a curveball, a changeup, and a four-seam fastball that give him a repertoire that allows him to miss bats with regularity when he is healthy.
With Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd, Colin Rea, and Cade Horton locked into the rotation right now, Cabrera would probably be able to slide into that fifth spot. With Ben Brown able to give a spot start here and there, and Assad due back in a few weeks, the Cubs should be able to let pitchers get an extra day of rest at times down the stretch. Taillon will be back from his calf injury at some point, as well. Rea and Assad have both served as swingmen before, so moving either or both to the bullpen should not be an issue. Brown and Assad still have minor league options left, as well.
So, if the Cubs want to put together the best playoff roster they can this year while still locking up Tucker for the future, Cabrera is their best move right now. If he pitches well, he could potentially be signed to an extension for a reasonably cheap price. Cabrera possesses the raw talent to be an excellent pitcher, if the Cubs can find a way to keep him healthy long term. The Cubs signed President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer to a contract extension today. That gives me hope that there is a plan in place as to how to make the money work going forward.
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