The Athletic: Cubs Looking at Jon Gray and Tanner Houck (among many others)

Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of the Athletic emptied their notebooks this morning with notes on what they're hearing about the Cubs' trade plans as we approach this month's deadline.  Among the many players touched on were two pitchers currently convalescing at AAA: Jon Gray and Tanner Houck.

Jon Gray has been on Cubs' fans radars for over a decade.  First as the primary alternative to Kris Bryant in the 2013 draft, and subsequently many more times over the years as a potential trade or free agent target.  Gray is a pending free agent, and now firmly in the "boring innings eater" stage of his career.  Though he has quite a bit more fastball velocity than the innings eater archetype tends to offer, so he may still have some untapped upside.

Tanner Houck is a much more intriguing option.  A year ago at this time he looked like a full blown superstar, ranking 3rd in the league in pitching fWAR heading into last year's All Star Break.  But a mediocre second half followed by an injury marred start to 2025 has changed things in a hurry.  Houck is not a free agent until after the 2027 season, so he would be a long term contributor if he can put the injury troubles behind him.

Mooney & Sharma touched on a number of other names, including many of the usual suspects.  It's clear that Jed Hoyer and the Cubs' front office are casting a wide net for potential upgrades.