The Cubs keep circling the same need, and it’s still the one that matters most: pitching. With the 2026 trade deadline drawing closer, Chicago is hunting for a starter who can help in October, and Toronto may be the team that hands one over if its season keeps sliding.
The Blue Jays entered Wednesday in last place in the American League East at 46-55, 12.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays. They’re also six games out of the final Wild Card spot in the American League.
Toronto still has one more game against the Rays on Thursday, then a weekend set with the surging Boston Red Sox, followed by series against the Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals before the deadline.
Unless the Jays start piling up wins fast, they look more and more like a surprise seller.
If that happens, Kevin Gausman stands out as the obvious name for Chicago to watch.
Gausman is in the final year of a five-year contract and has posted a 4.51 ERA across 21 starts this season. But the surface numbers don’t tell the whole story.
He’s striking out more than 23% of the hitters he’s faced while walking fewer than 7%, and there’s a case to be made that a better defense behind him could clean up some of the damage. His BABIP sits at .306, and with a groundball rate of 37.8%, some of those balls may simply be slipping through Toronto’s gloves and into gaps that the Cubs would be better equipped to cover.
That’s part of why his 3.67 FIP jumps off the page. It suggests there’s still a lot left in the tank, even if the results haven’t fully matched the underlying work.
And if the Cubs want a starter who can take the ball in October, Gausman fits the bill. He was in Toronto’s playoff rotation last year and made two World Series starts against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
For Chicago, the appeal is straightforward: a rental arm with uneven numbers, but real upside if the price stays reasonable. That’s the kind of swing Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins could justify.
In Other News...
Cubs Finally Linked To A Real Bullpen Answer Before The Deadline
The Cubs are expected to spend the final stretch before the trade deadline looking for pitching help, and the search is not limited to one area. Chicago has needs in both the rotation and the bullpen, which makes any potential deal with the Mets worth watching closely as the front office tries to balance immediate help with longer-term value.
One name that has surfaced as a fit is a reliever who has been effective this season and comes with more than just a short-term rental profile. He is under contract beyond this year, and for a Cubs club still sorting out the late innings, that kind of stability could matter just as much as the arm itself if the team decides to make a real push. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Prospect Move Suddenly Puts One Young Outfielder On Notice
James Triantos is expected to join the Cubs ahead of their game against the Pirates, a move that adds another young name to a roster still sorting out its future. The corresponding shuffle has put Kevin Alcantara in an awkward spot, especially for a player who has been viewed as part of the organizations next wave in the outfield.
There is no trade reported involving Alcantara, but the timing of this move has only added to the sense that his path in Chicago is getting narrower. For now, the Cubs are simply making room for Triantos, yet the bigger question is whether this is just a temporary roster decision or the latest sign that Alcantara is no longer being treated as a long-term answer in the outfield. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Fans Can't Ignore This Mason McGwire Deadline Clue
Mason McGwire has become one of the more interesting names in the Cubs system this season, enough to earn a Futures Game nod and put him firmly on the radar as the deadline approaches. The South Bend right-hander has also been handled carefully at times, including an earlier three-week gap between starts, which only adds to the attention around every move the organization makes with him.
So when McGwire was scratched from a scheduled start, it naturally set off some curiosity around the Cubs pitching depth and what they may be weighing in the coming days. The club has not offered an explanation, leaving open the usual possibilities that come with a prospect of his profile, and that uncertainty is exactly what makes his situation worth watching as deadline talk continues to build. [Read more 🡒]