Cubs Trade Pitch Adds Another Ace to Lead Staff

If the goal is simply to reach the playoffs, the Chicago Cubs have likely done enough to ensure a successful season in 2025. 

With the offseason trade for Kyle Tucker adding an MVP-caliber player to a roster of young talent led by potential breakout star Pete Crow-Armstrong and National League Rookie of the Year candidate Matt Shaw, the Cubs are a popular pick to finish the season atop the NL Central Division. Though some are having a tough time moving away from the Milwaukee Brewers as repeat divisional champs, and others see the Cincinnati Reds as a surprise winner, the conventional wisdom has Chicago winning enough games to earn its way into postseason play. 

But getting it done in October is an entirely different animal, and as spring training winds down, the odds don’t particularly favor Chicago making much noise in the playoffs. In fact, while six teams from the National League will eventually get into the postseason, the Cubs are actually ranked seventh among NL teams with the best chance to win the World Series. 

Adding Dylan Cease Would Give Cubs Another Ace Alongside Shota Imanaga

While Chicago seems to have the offensive pieces in place to make a serious run at the title, there are still concerns in the pitching staff, particularly among the projected starters. The Cubs boast a pair of All-Stars at the top of the rotation in Shota Imanaga and Justin Steele, and with Jameson Taillon and Matthew Boyd, who was signed to a 2-year deal early in the offseason, the team has two established pitchers that it believes will provide quality innings. 

But that fifth spot remains a question mark, and the eventual answer could go a long way toward determining how Chicago matches up against the talented pitching staffs of likely playoff opponents such as the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies or Atlanta Braves. 

For Cubs fans, the best answer would be to trade for an available ace, and a reporter for Cubs Insider believes the Cubs can package the necessary players that would bring them the top-of-the-rotation starter they need to win in a postseason series.  

Cubs Insider Report Suggests Trade Packages to Acquire Dylan Cease

Noting the potential for the San Diego Padres to deal Dylan Cease at some point this season, Michael Canter offered a pair of proposals that he feels would be to San Diego’s liking. The first deal involves Jordan Wicks, Kevin Alcántara, Jefferson Rojas, Jaxon Wiggins and Brandon Birdsell, while package No. 2 would send Alcánatara, Ben Brown, James Triantos, and Javier Assad. 

“I admit that’s a pretty steep price and many readers will object,” Canter wrote, “but running Cease, Justin Steele, and Shōta Imanaga at the Dodgers or any other postseason team gives Chicago a fighting chance.” 

There are questions regarding Cease’s availability before the season even starts. Many pundits believe San Diego will at least let part of the regular season unfold before seriously engaging in trade discussions that involves the 29-year-old who has been one of baseball’s most consistent, durable pitchers over the last four seasons. 

“He strikes out a lot of guys, very talented guys, but the best thing about him is his dependability. Amazing. I mean, how many other guys lead the league in starts three out of four years,” MLB analyst Jon Heyman said. “So he has a huge value, and I don’t see the Padres trading Cease, unless they can improve their current roster, and that’s going to be difficult, because it’s obviously, it’s going to be contending teams looking at him.” 

Recent reports indicate that the Cubs are one of nine teams that have contacted San Diego about a trade for Cease. The inclusion of Assad, Brown or Wicks could fulfill the need for a starting pitcher in return, but it remains to be seen how committed either side will be to making a deal.

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