Trade Targets Identified for Cubs to Address ‘Grimace-Inducing’ Pitching Woes

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Chicago Cubs pitcher Justin Steele

Even under the healthiest of conditions, the Chicago Cubs are a team in need of help on the pitching staff.

The team’s bullpen has been at best inconsistent , at worst ineffective since the season began. And while the starters have held their own in helping Chicago get out to a 9-6 start , there are questions about their ability to match up against potential playoff opponents.

Those questions only got louder on Wednesday with the announcement that Justin Steele had been put on the 15-day injured list .

Justin Steele Undergoes MRI Due to Elbow Tendonitis

It was an unwelcome surprise for Cubs fans, who had just watched Steele pitch his best game of the young season on Monday. Facing the Texas Rangers on a cold night at Wrigley Field, Steele threw seven shutout innings, giving up just three hits with eight strikeouts and a pair of walks as Chicago won 5-0 .

However, Steele had informed the coaching staff during the game that he felt a bit of tightness in his elbow, and when it still didn’t feel right the next day, impeding Steele’s recovery work, the team decided to shut him down with what they’re calling elbow tendonitis. Steele was scheduled to undergo an MRI on Thursday.

“You see that and it never sounds good,” said Jack Ankony with Sports Illustrated’s Payoff Pitch podcast . “But yeah, it’s a big loss for the Cubs.”

While calling Steele, “one of the more underrated pitchers in the in the NL the last couple years,” Ankony said he feels that even with a healthy Steele, the Cubs should be shopping for a top-line starter. An injured Steele makes that need even more prevalent.

“I sort of thought going into the year they needed to add another [starting pitcher], whether it’s an ace or a number two, because I sort of see Steele and [Shota] Imanaga as, you know, very good number twos maybe, not aces to kind of carry your rotation,” Ankony said. “So it kind of puts the Cubs in a little bit of trouble here.”

Cubs Urged to Seek Pitching Help Following Injury to Justin Steele

In a piece for Bleacher Report, Kerry Miller examines “MLB Teams with Clear Needs Already for 2025 Trade Deadline.” Noting that the injury to Steele turned the Cubs’ pitching staff “from ‘questionable’ to downright ‘grimace-inducing,’” Miller listed a quartet of potential options for Chicago to pursue in a trade: Nick Martinez, Cal Quantrill, Martín Pérez, and Kyle Hendricks.

“That last solution on the list would be a fun reunion, with Hendricks out to a pretty impressive start to the Angels chapter of his career,” Miller wrote. “But a swing man like Martinez would seem to make the most sense for a team with a wide range of pitching needs.

“If his $21 million salary is a bit too much for the Cubs to stomach, there’s always $3.5 million Quantrill wasting away in Miami.”

Dave Benson Dave Benson is a longtime writer with over three decades of experience in a variety of mediums, including 15 years covering high school, collegiate and minor league sports in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Dave is also a licensed English teacher and spent a few years teaching at the middle school level. More about Dave Benson