Cubs Talked to Rangers About Trio of Available Starting Pitchers at GM Meetings

As the Texas Rangers attempt an on-the-run reset whereby they would shed some of their more onerous contracts while remaining competitive in the wide-open AL West, they and the Cubs spoke this week about three starting pitchers who could offer partial solutions to the Cubs' glaring shortcomings in the rotation, sources familiar with the talks said. Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and MacKenzie Gore (each of whom the Cubs have had some measure of interest in in the past) come with sticking points, but each also offers upside that would fill a key need for the North Siders.

It's Now Officially Nathan Eovaldi Trade Season

On Sunday, the Rangers will pay Eovaldi, 36, the first half of the $12-million signing bonus he received when he re-signed with the team in late 2024. In effect, that opens up the market for the veteran righthander, one source said. 

The structure of Eovaldi's deal is unusual. He signed for $75 million over three years, the last of which will be the 2027 campaign. However, his bonus became a de facto form of backloading for the deal, as $6 million was made payable on Nov. 15, 2026, and another $6 million is due in early 2028, after the end of the contract. That doesn't affect the competitive-balance tax (CBT) number assigned to the deal for each of the three seasons—$25 million apiece—but it did complicate initial trade conversations this month. The Rangers, trying to stay competitive but also on budget, would have liked to move Eovaldi with all $32 million still owed to him, in a perfect world. They were unwilling to deal him for the returns they were offered at that price, though. Now that his actual price is down to $26 million, a trade is a bit more plausible.

Although not as hard a thrower as he was half a decade ago, Eovaldi is still a force to be reckoned with, and even with a substantial price tag on a one-year engagement, he'd come with plenty of surplus value. His arsenal includes five solid offerings and multiple ways to get whiffs against both lefties and righties. He fills up the zone and still works deep into games when he's going well; he pitched at least seven innings nine times in 2026.

However, Eovaldi's 2025 season (in which he'd been making a bid for a surprising Cy Young Award) was cut short by shoulder trouble, and his 2026 campaign was interrupted by a balky elbow. He finished the season healthy, but given his age and that track record, there's some reason for pause. (He also saw his home-run rate tick up.) 

Eovaldi also must approve any move; his deal includes a full no-trade clause. One source said the pitcher has had interest in pitching for the Cubs in the past and could be open to the move, but it's not clear whether Texas has yet established which teams he'd accede to be dealt to. With the bonus payment out of the way, at least that can be the biggest contractual question hanging over a potential deal.

The Immovable Object: Jacob deGrom

The Cubs were also in touch with Texas before the trade deadline this August, when the Rangers made a late pivot and considered selling. However, it was the team from near Atlanta that came near acquiring deGrom, before he thwarted the transaction via his own no-trade protection. He's expected to be at least somewhat more open to a move this winter, but even if that's true, he'll have the luxury of deciding where he's willing to go.

Understandably, Cubs personnel checked in to see what the asking price would be for the expensive two-time Cy Young Award winner, in case he could be persuaded to join them. he'll turn 39 next June, but deGrom has a lowish number on his arm's odometer, having been a position player until college. He's made 61 starts over the last two seasons, racking up 386 strikeouts in 335 1/3 innings and running a solid 3.57 ERA. The stuff is still nasty; that strikeout total is more than 28% of all the batters he's faced since the start of 2025. 

Assuming deGrom would give his assent, the Cubs would be getting a frontline starter with the potential to start Game 1 of a playoff series. He won't come cheap, in that he's owed $37 million for 2027—which is also the annual average value (AAV) of his contract and (therefore) his CBT number. However, a $20-million club option will be tacked on to the end of his deal because of the Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for much of 2023 and 2024, which would soften the blow to Chicago's budget and give them a second season of control over him if they want it. 

For all of those reasons, deGrom would cost some real prospect capital, which is in short supply for the Cubs. A deal for him is viewed as least likely of the three Rangers hurlers on the block, but as an alternative to spending a similar annual figure over a much longer term for Tarik Skubal, the Cubs might view deGrom as an alluring option.

MacKenzie Gore: The White Whale

The Cubs have long admired lefthander MacKenzie Gore. They talked to the Nationals about him before the 2025 trade deadline and again last winter, but never liked the steep asking price to which Washington cleaved. They also didn't think much of the pitch mix or mechanical changes Gore made in 2026, after being dealt to the Rangers. However, Gore did make one important kind of progress this season, starting 34 games and pitching a career-high 173 innings for Texas.

Perhaps the time will finally be right for Chicago to reel in their big fish. Gore is under control for just one more season, so the price tag is coming down, and his performance was not as far worse than in the past as his topline results were. He'll be paid roughly $9 million in his final year of arbitration eligibility. The Rangers would rather trade deGrom or Eovaldi, if all else were equal, but they have the same problem the Cubs do in any potential pursuit of those hurlers: their contracts, and the questions about each player's age and utility beyond 2027. 

Gore would cost the best prospect package, but he could also be made the qualifying offer (assuming that still exists in the new collective bargaining agreement) after 2027. Unlike deGrom and Eovaldi, he has no way to block a trade, and he's a serious candidate for an extension if the team believes in him enough and has productive early conversations after acquiring him. Trading for him would leave more room in the budget for free-agent splurges than would landing either Eovaldi or deGrom.

If the Cubs do get Gore, it could come on the other side of the looming lockout, once a decision on the future of the QO has been reached. That would bring clarity to his market. The Cubs need to make some pitching additions before the work stoppage, though, so Eovaldi and deGrom could suit their timeline better. 

By no means was this the only (or even the primary) avenue the Cubs explored as they sought pitching help this week. They were very active in discussions with representatives for several free-agent starters, sources said, including 2026 trade acquisition David Peterson, Japanese fireballer Kaima Taira and Michael Soroka. Though his tenure with the Cubs in 2025 was marred by injury and viewed as a flop by most fans, Soroka enjoyed working with Cubs pitching guru Tyler Zombro, one person noted, and could circle back to the team as a second-tier addition this offseason.

A team source acknowledged that Chicago can't fill their needs in the rotation purely through free agency. It would be too expensive, particularly because it would probably saddle them with multiple deals that stretch past the end of this decade. Instead, they'll try to both sign and trade for pitching help, and the Rangers are one team they know to be open to deals. Their discussions in Las Vegas didn't yield any immediate progress, but the sides might well be back in touch soon.

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