Should Cubs Aggressively Pursue Sandy Alcantara To Help Rotation?

Despite a fantastic start to the season, the Chicago Cubs do have a couple of flaws.

While the Cubs currently reside in first place in the National League Central, they have been challenged of late by injuries. Fortunately, despite losing some key players, the Cubs have found ways to continue to win.

The offense of Chicago has been top notch this year, and is the main reason why they have been so successful.

With a good mix of veterans and young talent, the unit has both power and speed, making it quite the challenge for opposing pitchers.

However, while their offense has been great and they are having success so far this campaign, their goal is going to be to win in October.

A recent injury to Justin Steele has made that task a lot tougher. Now, replacing him is not going to be easy, but is something the Cubs must do to position themselves for success in the playoffs.

Who Should Chicago Target?

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently wrote that the Cubs will be one of the most aggressive teams when it comes to pursuing Miami Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara this summer.

“The Chicago Cubs are probably going to be the most aggressive suitor of Miami's Sandy Alcantara. Justin Steele is done for the year, and neither Ben Brown nor Jameson Taillon is thriving in the rotation.”

One of the most frequently mentioned names this summer is going to be the former National League Cy Young award winner. However, despite success in the past, Alcantara missed the entire 2024 campaign and is still working his way back into form.

The first year after surgery can be a challenge for a pitcher, and the talented right-hander hasn’t hit the ground running so far.

In 2025, he has totaled a 2-6 record, 7.99 ERA, and 34 strikeouts in 41.2 innings pitched.

While he has never been a massive strikeout pitcher, the numbers aren’t looking great for Alcantara so far.

As the year progresses, the hope is that he will continue to get comfortable and knock off the rust, but there hasn’t been any indication of that just yet. So far in May, he has allowed at least four earned runs in each of his three starts.

With multiple years of team control left on his contract, that could have been seen as a blessing or a curse for his value. If he were pitching like an elite pitcher, he would have been seen as a bargain. Now, he appears to be getting overpaid with his current production levels.

The Cubs are in desperate need of a front-end starter, but Alcantara will have to prove himself before Chicago should show any potential interest.