The Cubs are running out of time to solve their pitching problem, and the clock is pushing them toward a decision that could define the rest of their season. With about a week left before the 2026 trade deadline, Chicago is still hunting for rotation help, and the big question is how aggressive Jed Hoyer is willing to get.
Tarik Skubal sits at the top of the wish list, but that path looks muddy. The Tigers have not sounded especially eager to move him, and Hoyer has never shown that kind of deadline firepower anyway. Unless one of those realities changes, Skubal feels more like a dream than a realistic target.
That doesn’t change the Cubs’ assignment. They need to leave the deadline with a starter who can take the ball in a postseason game.
They missed that mark last summer, and the season never quite recovered from it. Chicago can’t afford a repeat.
If the Cubs can land a pitcher who’s under control beyond 2026, that should be the priority. Reid Detmers belongs near the top of that conversation, but trades like that are tough to pull off in-season. That’s why the likeliest outcome is a rental, and the name that keeps coming up is Freddy Peralta.
Peralta would be a controversial swing. His season has been rough enough to make people hesitate: a 5.01 ERA, a 1.46 WHIP, and a strikeout rate that has dropped from 28.2% last season with the Milwaukee Brewers to 22.4% this year. Those are real warning signs, and they explain why a move for him comes with risk.
Still, it’s hard to believe a 30-year-old pitcher has suddenly lost everything. His xERA sits at 3.85, and his groundball rate is 41.3%.
With the Mets having been such a mess this season, there’s a case that Peralta just needs a change of scenery to get back to being a top-of-the-rotation arm. The Cubs should try to aim higher, but if they miss on the bigger names, Peralta is the move.
There’s also a temptation Chicago needs to resist: Robbie Ray.
Ray has become a popular trade target, and on the surface he checks a lot of boxes. The Giants are likely to move him before the deadline, and because he’s a rental, he should come at a more manageable price. His 3.16 ERA in just under 117 innings looks appealing at first glance.
But the deeper numbers tell a different story. His strikeout rate is down to 20.6%, his walk rate has climbed to 11.4%, and his groundball rate is only 33.5%. That leaves him with a 4.49 FIP, a gap that suggests the ERA may not hold up over the final two months.
That’s exactly the kind of profile the Cubs need to be careful with. Ray might look like a fit on paper, but the underlying numbers point to trouble ahead.
In Other News...
Cubs Roster Squeeze Is About To Claim Some Familiar Names
The Cubs have already started to feel the tug of a roster crunch, and it is only going to get tighter as more arms work their way back. Chicago said farewell to Jameson Taillon earlier this week, a reminder that the churn is already underway, and the next wave could be even more disruptive as Hunter Harvey, Ben Brown, Edward Cabrera and Daniel Palencia move closer to returning over the next two months.
With the trade deadline also looming, the front office may not be done adding pitching help, which means there will be fewer places to go around. That puts a handful of current Cubs in a vulnerable spot, with Aaron Civale, Tyler Ferguson, Trent Thornton, Andrew Wantz, Pedro Ramirez and James Triantos among the names most exposed if the club has to clear room for the reinforcements coming down the line. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Catching Depth Just Took Another Hit Fans Will Notice
The Cubs catching depth took another small but noticeable hit with Christian Bethancourt moving on to a minor league deal with the Yankees, where he will head to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Bethancourt had been in the Cubs system this season and brought the kind of veteran major league background that can matter when a club is trying to keep Triple-A depth stable and ready.
For Chicago, the departure is another reminder that organizational catching depth can change quickly, especially when a player with big league experience becomes available elsewhere. Bethancourt had been part of the mix at Iowa, and his exit leaves the Cubs with one less experienced option in the upper minors while the Yankees keep searching for a right-handed-hitting catcher and continue sorting through trade possibilities. [Read more 🡒]
Jed Hoyer May Have Just Shown His True Cubs Deadline Plan
Tarik Skubal is still the loudest name on the pitching market, and the Tigers are expected to move him before the deadline with a long list of contenders circling. The Cubs have been floated as a possible fit, but the broader picture around Chicago has pointed in a different direction, one that values a starter who can stick around beyond this season rather than a short-term swing at a premium arm.
That preference says plenty about how Jed Hoyer may be approaching July. Chicago is willing to part with prospects for the right pitcher, but the club seems far more likely to chase a controllable arm than a rental with free agency looming, which is why names like Reid Detmers, Jose Soriano, Emmerson Hancock and Sandy Alcantara keep surfacing as more realistic paths if the Cubs decide to make their move. [Read more 🡒]