The Chicago Cubs have reportedly been in strong pursuit of star players like Alex Bregman and Dylan Cease to help finish up an incredible offseason in the Windy City. But neither of these two pipe dreams will likely come to fruition.
Bregman recently inked a huge deal with the Boston Red Sox. The Cubs could have used him, but he seemed like a long shot for most of free agency. Cease could still land in Chicago, but the San Diego Padres are reportedly asking for a huge return for their ace.
It’s unlikely the Cubs will look to move another massive haul of multiple top ten prospects after the Kyle Tucker trade. But they could look to land another dominant Padres pitcher instead: closer Robert Suarez.
Suarez was one of the best relievers in the league in 2024. He was so dominant that when San Diego landed Tanner Scott at the trade deadline, Suarez still maintained the closer role pretty consistently. He pitched to the tune of a 2.77 ERA with 35 saves en route to his first All-Star appearance.
The Padres don’t necessarily need to trade Suarez, so a trade package to land the flame-throwing closer would need to “wow” San Diego beyond belief. This package does exactly that while also staying within the Cubs’ price range.
Ballesteros, 21, slashed .289/.354/.471 in the minor leagues in 2024. The Padres don’t have much catching depth in the minor leagues aside from top prospect Ethan Sala, so this addition would be huge. The left-handed hitter is an excellent prospect with a great bat.
Neely, 24, is a dominant minor league reliever. Standing at a staggering 6-foot-8, the righty features an overpowering fastball and an absurdly dominant slider. He’s seen a few big-league innings, but there’s not enough of a sample size to draw any major conclusions.
Suarez joins the Cubs bullpen and immediately slots in as the closer. In this scenario, there could be some debate as to whether Ryan Pressly or Suarez would work as the closer, but in my mind, it would be Suarez.
With Chicago taking such a win-now approach, a deal like this could make sense. They still have plenty of depth in the farm system and it would be tough to find too many National League teams with better rosters than the Cubs would have.
