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Pete Fairbanks pitching for the Tampa Bay Rays

The Chicago Cubs will certainly be buyers at this year’s trade deadline. Chicago has featured one of the best offenses in the Majors this season and has ridden their bats to a 28-20 record. They currently sit in first place in a sneaky good National League Central Division.

But the Cubs have a few major weaknesses that could jeopardize their season. The Cubs, like many contending teams, may need to use the trade market in hopes of shoring up those weaknesses for a playoff push.

And according to Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly, they need to do exactly that.

“They lost Justin Steele for the season to Tommy John surgery, and Shota Imanaga (hamstring) is on the injured list as well,” said Kelly.  “Clearly, another front-line starter is a need for the Cubs. The same can be said for closer, as both Ryan Pressly and Porter Hodge have struggled so far this season. Entering the season, those were the top two projected relievers in Craig Counsell’s bullpen. There’s a lot of positivity surrounding the Cubs, and rightfully so. But they need to improve their pitching staff to have a chance to defeat the heavyweights from the NL West and East in the playoffs.”

A questionable rotation got worse

The Cubs’ rotation wasn’t considered a strong suit heading into the season. But injuries to their top two starters have only magnified that need. While Matthew Boyd, Colin Rea, and Jameson Taillon have filled in nicely, they are hardly a playoff-caliber trio.

Jed Hoyer needs to answer the question regarding trading for a front-line starter: who, not if. Chicago needs to decide if it wants to trade for a “rental” or pony up a bigger package for an arm with more control long term. While trading for a rental would limit the outgoing prospect capital, the options are scarce.

Many of the potential arms, such as Dylan Cease, Michael King, Zac Gallen, and Framber Valdez, play on contending teams and are unlikely to be dealt.

The Bullpen also needs help

Trading for a frontline rotation arm is expensive and complicated. But acquiring a few solid bullpen arms should not be as difficult. Not only are they more common, but they cost much less to acquire. It’s a near certainty that the Cubs will make a move for at least one bullpen arm. They have to justify their Kyle Tucker move. With Tucker only under contract for this season, the time is now.

While some arms will provide depth, others can change the game. A name to keep an eye on is Pete Fairbanks of the Tampa Bay Rays. Since 2022, the 31-year-old has tossed 132.2 innings and registered a 2.65 ERA. His production would be a huge boost to the Cubs. A playoff team that desperately needs help in the back end of the bullpen.

Fairbanks isn’t an unrestricted free agent until 2027, and the Cubs could work with the Rays to get a deal done. Tampa Bay is notorious for trading away players before their payday to acquire cost-controlled young talent. The Cubs have a great farm system, and the Rays may be inclined to be sellers with their 21-26 record this season.

In my opinion, Jed Hoyer needs to make him a top target for the Cubs at this deadline.

Michael DeFrancisco Michael DeFrancisco is a writer and contributor covering MLB for Heavy Sports. He started working at Heavy in 2025 and has experince covering Chicago Sports. More about Michael DeFrancisco

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