Cubs Reportedly 'Would Love To' Acquire These Two Arms From Rival Pirates

The Chicago Cubs will be adding a pitcher or two at some point before the trade deadline.

All signs are pointing to them bolstering both their starting rotation and bullpen, but how aggressive the front office and ownership group decides to be will determine who they might pursue.

Names like Sandy Alcantara and the two Arizona Diamondbacks aces have been floated as possibilities, but in both cases, that would require the Cubs to part ways with a pricy package of prospects if they are going to get something done.

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History suggests they'll shy away from going down that route.

However, that doesn't mean Chicago won't land some impact arms for the stretch run.

And according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, they are eyeing two of the Pittsburgh Pirates' best pitchers who would upgrade both their starting and relief corps.

"The Chicago Cubs, who have dominated the NL Central but have seen their lead getting a little too close for comfort, are one of the teams who would love to get their hands on [Mitch] Keller and [David] Bednar," the insider reported.

Starting with Mitch Keller, that addition would be a major investment.

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Under contract through 2028 with a total of roughly $55.7 million remaining on his contract over the next three years after this season is over, the right-handed starter would solve some questions about their rotation going forward since Justin Steele will still be recovering from Tommy John surgery next year and Jameson Taillon is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2026 campaign.

Keller has been solid during his career with a 4.52 ERA in 149 appearances (147 starts).

He's largely been an above average pitcher for the last three seasons, and with his ERA sitting at 4.02 and his ERA+ at 104 through 16 starts this year, he would certainly help this Cubs starting unit.

David Bednar would be a great addition.

His 2024 campaign where he posted a 5.77 ERA in 62 appearances can firmly be viewed as an outlier since he had recorded three straight seasons with an ERA below 3.00 prior to last year and has a 2.93 ERA across 31 outings thus far in 2025.

With his experience closing games, he could either step into that role or be a high-leverage arm that Chicago desperately needs.

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If the Cubs go down this route, it's going to be expensive.

Not only is Keller signed to a lucrative deal through 2028, but Bednar is under club control for another season. Meaning Chicago is going to have to give up a pretty penny to land these two from their division rivals.

The Cubs have been hesitant to make these types of deals in the past, but based on Nightengale's reporting, it seems like an aggressive play for those two key arms could be something this organization is looking for ahead of the deadline.

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