Reid Detmers has become one of those names that keeps floating through Cubs rumors without ever quite landing anywhere. He was said to be close to Chicago at the deadline, then reports quickly pushed back on that idea, and the latest round of reporting only hardens that skepticism.
Earlier this week, one report claimed the Cubs and Angels had edged toward a Detmers deal before Jaxon Wiggins’ medicals complicated things. But that version didn’t hold for long.
Marquee Sports Network’s Lance Brozdowski questioned whether Chicago was ever truly in the mix, saying the Angels had a "gargantuan" asking price and were never close to moving the 27-year-old. Just Baseball’s Pete Appel followed with a similar read, reporting that no team got near the Angels’ price and that Los Angeles was willing to keep Detmers because of the control remaining on his deal.
That lines up with the common-sense version of this whole situation. Trading for a controllable pitcher in season is already tough.
Doing it when your own system is thin on pitching makes it even harder. In that light, it was difficult to buy the idea that Wiggins, as he stands right now, would be the centerpiece in a Detmers package.
At this point, the safest assumption is that the Cubs never really had Detmers in hand. The deadline passed without a move, and the longer this drags on, the more it looks like Chicago was never operating as if the deal was close.
And that has an offseason ripple effect. The Cubs will still be linked to arms on the trade market, but this story points to a limit on what they can actually do there. Their farm system simply doesn’t look built for a major pitching trade right now.
Josiah Hartshorn stands as the one blue-chip prospect in the system at the moment, and the Cubs view him as part of their long-term outfield picture. Maybe a prospect from the 2026 draft class changes the equation next year, but for now, the idea of Chicago swinging a big trade for an ace this offseason feels unlikely.
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