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Cubs Should Pursue Joe Ryan in Their Quest for an Ace

Originally posted on On Tap Sports Net | By Bobby Foster | Last updated Jun 23, 2025 2:12 PM ET

Among the potential targets of starting pitching, one player isn't being talked about nearly enough during this year's trade deadline rumor mill. 29-year old starter Joe Ryan checks a lot of the boxes for this year's Chicago Cubs team.

The Minnesota Twins are treading water in a division that seems further out of reach thanks to the Detroit Tigers. Adding an injury to their other top starter in Pablo Lopez seems like a recipe for looking past 2025 instead.

Ryan could be the Twins' golden goose of the trade deadline. His contract is team friendly for the next two seasons and he continues to show why he is the missing link between the Cubs and what a World Series caliber team looks like.

It is safe to say that the 2025 Cubs are legit. The addition of Kyle Tucker and the emergence of Pete Crow-Armstrong have elevated a once middling franchise back to the success of the late 2010s.

The one thing that is still holding them back is their starting rotation. The prolonged absence of Shota Imanaga has not helped matters and losing Justin Steele for the season was an even bigger blow to this team.

Relying on the likes of Colin Rea only works for so long, as witnessed in his recent pitching woes. A playoff team cannot count on someone like Rea to be a contributor in the starting rotation.

Joe Ryan is a name that isn't being talked about enough within the Cubs' pursuit for an ace. Sandy Alcantara and Zac Gallen represent realistic options, but it feels at this juncture that this team needs a move where all the chips are pushed in.

An emerging ace of this caliber doesn't grow on trees. The Cubs have a bevy of prospects who are log jammed and can serve this exact purpose for the organization. Now is not the time to be hoarding prospects, now is the time to capitalize on a talented roster.

This article first appeared on On Tap Sports Net and was syndicated with permission.

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