The Cubs have been chasing a starter they can trust beyond October, and Reid Detmers checks that box in a big way.
Chicago is attempting to acquire the left-handed pitcher from the Los Angeles Angels, according to Michael Cerami of Bleacher Nation. The return going to Los Angeles was not immediately reported, and the move had not yet been completed. Jesse Rogers of ESPN later reported that the Cubs had not acquired Detmers in a trade with the Angels.
Even with the deal still in limbo, the fit is obvious. Detmers is not a short-term rental.
He is under team control through the 2028 season, which means the Cubs would be getting an established major league starter without the risk of watching him hit free agency this winter. He is making $2.625 million this season and still has two years of arbitration eligibility left.
That kind of control is exactly why he would come with a real price tag. It also makes him the type of arm a contender can justify paying for. Chicago entered Monday at 63-49, trailing the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central but still squarely in the postseason picture.
Detmers’ season line looks a lot better than the 3-7 record beside his name. He has posted a 4.03 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP in 22 starts, while piling up 145 strikeouts in 125 innings. That strikeout total puts him near the top of the league.
He has also kept hitters off the bases at a solid clip, allowing only 99 hits. Another appealing detail for the Cubs: he has given up just six home runs in 54 road innings, a number that stands out as he prepares to pitch home games at Wrigley Field.
His recent run has been even sharper. In each of his final three starts for the Angels, Detmers allowed two earned runs or fewer. Over that stretch, he struck out 22 batters while giving up only 10 hits and three walks in 16 1/3 innings.
Los Angeles still lost all three games and scored only three runs combined. Detmers got no support in a 1-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, even though he allowed just two hits and one run over 5 1/3 innings.
He then shut out the Detroit Tigers for six innings, striking out seven without a walk.
His final start for the Angels appears to have been the one against the Houston Astros, when he struck out nine in five innings.
The Cubs are banking on that kind of underlying production carrying over in a better environment.
Detmers has had an uneven career since the Angels took him No. 10 overall in the 2020 MLB Draft, but his best work has shown why he remains so intriguing. In May 2022, he threw a no-hitter against the Tampa Bay Rays and became the youngest Angels pitcher to do it. Since then, he has developed into a strikeout-heavy starter with 643 strikeouts over 574 1/3 career innings.
His career ERA sits at 4.61 across 158 appearances, including 97 starts. Still, his 2026 numbers point to a pitcher who may be hitting his stride.
The Cubs were not the only team interested. According to a recent Yahoo Sports report, both Chicago and the White Sox had shown interest in Detmers, and the Angels were open to considering offers for controllable players as they continued reshaping a club that entered Monday at 43-69. Chicago ultimately emerged as the team closest to landing him.
If the trade is finalized, Detmers would give the Cubs another left-handed starter who can miss bats in a playoff series. Just as important, he would not be a two-month add.
He could stay in their rotation for two more seasons after 2026, giving the front office more certainty while it builds out the pitching staff. His salary also leaves Chicago with room to keep working on other needs.
The full cost of the deal will shape how it is judged, especially since the Angels had no contractual obligation to move him. But from the Cubs’ side, the goal is clear: add a starter who helps now and still matters later. Detmers would fit that mission.
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