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Cubs Get Excellent Update on Justin Steele Trade Replacement

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jon Conahan | Last updated May 9, 2025 3:30 PM ET

If Jed Hoyer has shown one thing over the past few years, he's in love with left-handed starters.

When the Chicago Cubs needed a right-hander during the offseason, all he did was go out and add Matthew Boyd. Boyd, who isn't a bad arm by any means, has thrown the baseball at an excellent level for the Cubs, posting a 2.75 ERA.

However, even before the injuries to Shota Imanaga and Justin Steele, the Cubs had a huge need for a right-handed starter.

Despite the prior need, there could be a scenario where adding another left-hander makes sense now.

While the Cubs should look to get two dominant starters at the deadline, adding one right-hander and one left-hander, as long as they add one ace-caliber starter, they should be fine.

According to a poll run by Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, executives around the league expect Framber Valdez to be one of the four most likely players traded at the deadline.

The Houston Astros haven't kept their guys around in recent years, evident by their decision to trade Kyle Tucker to the Cubs during the offseason.

For Valdez, who hits free agency at the end of the season, he's expected to be available at the deadline if the Astros are out of contention.

He's been decent to start the year, posting a 3.94 ERA and already throwing in 48.0 innings. However, he hasn't been as dominant as he's typically been, when he posted a 2.91 ERA in 176.1 innings two years ago.

Valdez is a rental, but it's important to remember that arms of his caliber during recent deadlines have gone for ridiculous packages.

If the Cubs want, they could offer the Astros that, but it remains to be seen who they're willing to give up.

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

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