Marlins Star Named One Player Chicago Cubs Should Pursue at Trade Deadline

With July already here for the Chicago Cubs, the team has proven to be one of the best in baseball through the first half of the season.

The Cubs hold a nice lead in the National League Central through the first half, with some of their offseason moves paying off. Coming into the campaign, this was a team that had some higher expectations after acquiring Kyle Tucker in a blockbuster deal with the Houston Astros.

A massive trade like that changed a lot of things for Chicago in 2025, and Tucker has helped lead arguably the best offense in the league. While it hasn’t been only their star outfielder contributing, he has played a significant part.

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Currently, the Cubs look like they have an offense that is ready to compete in October. With a bullpen that has performed well also, it really comes down to figuring out the starting rotation.

President of baseball operations, Jed Hoyer, will likely be quite aggressive this summer in trying to upgrade a unit that needs it.

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David Schoenfield of ESPN.com recently wrote about the one player that the Cubs should target at the trade deadline, being Miami Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara.

“The Cubs feel like the perfect match for multiple reasons. Their rotations rank 22nd in ERA and 17th in innings, so they're getting neither great production nor enough lengthy outings from their starters,” he wrote.

The loss of Justin Steele for the rest of the season was a massive blow to the rotation for Chicago this year. Even before he got injured, the Cubs were likely a team that could have gone after another front-line starter to help them in October. However, that need is only greater now due to the injury.

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While numerous starting pitchers will be available this summer, finding one capable of leading the rotation in October is hard.

Even though he hasn’t had a perfect start to the campaign coming off Tommy John surgery, Alcantara is starting to pitch better and look like the former NL Cy Young award winner he is.

In June, the right-hander totaled a 4.34 ERA, with one bad outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks hurting his month.

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While he should get a few more starts before the trade deadline, he does offer the Cubs the high upside that they are seeking in the rotation.

There is certainly some risk in pursuing him this summer with the results not being great, but with Tucker’s status for next year up in the air, Chicago might decide to go all-in and take a risk.

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