With the August 3 trade deadline looming, the Cubs are being talked about as buyers, and the pitching market is front and center. Chicago sits in the playoff race, and ESPN’s Jeff Passan pointed to a specific fit on SportsCenter: Los Angeles Angels left-hander Reid Detmers.
Passan made the case that the Cubs should check in on Detmers if they want a starter who can help now and stick around for more than a quick rental. He also floated a name from Chicago’s system that could help get a deal moving: catcher Owen Ayers.
“The Cubs would love starting pitchers, and we have all kinds of possibilities,” Passan said. “But they especially want one who is under control for multiple years, and that's Reid Detmers of the Los Angeles Angels… [The Angels] are looking for a catcher and the Cubs have Owen Ayers who's been one of the breakout minor league players this season.”
Detmers would check the control box. The 27-year-old is under team control through the 2028 season, which is exactly the kind of long-term fit Passan highlighted. His year has been uneven, but the raw production still shows why he’d be on the radar: a 4.03 ERA, 1.096 WHIP, and 145 strikeouts across 125.0 innings.
For Chicago, the appeal is obvious if the front office wants to add another arm to the rotation without treating the move like a short-term patch. Detmers brings six years of experience and, at least on paper, the kind of runway teams covet in July.
Ayers, meanwhile, has pushed his way into the conversation with a strong season in the Cubs’ system. He recently moved up to Triple-A Iowa after spending most of the year at Double-A Knoxville, and the numbers have been loud: a .320 batting average, .430 OBP, 99 hits, 23 home runs, and 68 RBIs in 87 games and 309 at-bats at the minor league level this season.
MLB trade matchmaker ⚾️@JeffPassan picks the best trade candidates for the Yankees, Cubs, Dodgers and Brewers 👀 pic.twitter.com/UIUO7cjhmP
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 31, 2026
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