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Cubs-Cardinals Trade Idea Lands Three-Time All-Star in Chicago After Shota Imanaga Injury

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Conor Liguori | Last updated May 7, 2025 4:00 PM ET

The Chicago Cubs are without their top two starting pitchers in the rotation. Justin Steele is out for the season after undergoing surgery on his elbow, and Shota Imanaga was placed on the 15-day injured list on Monday with a mild left hamstring strain.

While Imanaga seems to have avoided serious injury, and lefty Matthew Boyd has a 2.75 ERA in his first seven starts, there's a possibility the Cubs look outside the organization for a starting pitcher.

The Major League Baseball trade deadline is July 31, but some teams might be willing to seize a good opportunity before then.

On Monday, Newsweek's Andrew Wright put together three pitchers the Cubs could target in a trade to bolster the rotation. One of the pitchers is a member of Chicago's National League Central rival, the St. Louis Cardinals' Sonny Gray.

Gray, 35, is a three-time All-Star and was once one of the better starting pitchers in MLB during his years with the Athletics and Cincinnati Reds.

The 13-year veteran is off to a slow start in his second season with the Cardinals, posting a 4.12 ERA with 37 hits allowed in 39.1 innings. However, he could provide leadership in the clubhouse and has 30.1 innings of postseason experience.

"He [Gray] is already familiar with the NL Central, and he's had success at Wrigley Field in his career. He's allowed two or fewer runs in three of his last four starts there, along with striking out eight or more batters in those three starts," Wright wrote Monday.

Wright noted that it's rare for the Cardinals and Cubs to strike a trade, but stranger things have happened if the Cubs are willing to deal a high-end prospect in preparation for the postseason and St. Louis is out of the race by the deadline.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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