7/30 - Cubs Trade Deadline Rumors & Discussion

[Bertz]

48 minutes ago, tartan222 said:

kind of frustrating that i'm not seeing the cubs mentioned among the half-dozen teams reportedly in on the top relief names. i know giving up a meaningful prospect for a reliever is usually not a great proposition but the cubs need at least one more arm they can count on soooo badly

The sense I get from the rumors is that the team REALLY wants a cost controlled SP, but if they can't make that work they'll pivot to a monster reliever.

So like, making up names for effect,  Plan A would be Edward Cabrera and Raisel Iglesias, while Plan B would be Merrill Kelly and Griffin Jax.

If you start seeing the Cubs more hotly connected to the primo closers, IMO that means be prepared to be disappointed on the SP front.

[Rcal10]

4 minutes ago, Bertz said:

The sense I get from the rumors is that the team REALLY wants a cost controlled SP, but if they can't make that work they'll pivot to a monster reliever.

So like, making up names for effect,  Plan A would be Edward Cabrera and Raisel Iglesias, while Plan B would be Merrill Kelly and Griffin Jax.

If you start seeing the Cubs more hotly connected to the primo closers, IMO that means be prepared to be disappointed on the SP front.

I think I like plan B better. I think Kelly would be a fine add to the rotation and Jax to the open. Plus Jax could probably start next year in the rotation. I know that isn’t the point of your post. And I also agree with your POV. Just chiming in on what I like more. I would like it more if Castro is added to Jax.

[Jason Ross]

7 minutes ago, Bertz said:

The sense I get from the rumors is that the team REALLY wants a cost controlled SP, but if they can't make that work they'll pivot to a monster reliever.

So like, making up names for effect,  Plan A would be Edward Cabrera and Raisel Iglesias, while Plan B would be Merrill Kelly and Griffin Jax.

If you start seeing the Cubs more hotly connected to the primo closers, IMO that means be prepared to be disappointed on the SP front.

I'm getting "Bieber and Cade Smith" vibes. I think the two sides really match up in a sense of the Guardians never care about OF'ers who strikeout but have power, and the Cubs have always seemed to fancy Bieber. I know Clase and yadda yadda, but I have a feeling the Guards would consider moving him. They create relievers pretty often, and think they'd probably be more receptive than we think.

My prediction right now would be that will be what they do. No information, just vibes.

[Rcal10]

5 minutes ago, Jason Ross said:

I'm getting "Bieber and Cade Smith" vibes. I think the two sides really match up in a sense of the Guardians never care about OF'ers who strikeout but have power, and the Cubs have always seemed to fancy Bieber. I know Clase and yadda yadda, but I have a feeling the Guards would consider moving him. They create relievers pretty often, and think they'd probably be more receptive than we think.

My prediction right now would be that will be what they do. No information, just vibes.

Kelly would fit in well with that combo. One high end guy who is a high risk and one steady starter. And, of course, a solid pen arm. I will add that with Hawkins having ties to the Guardian FO it is probably something they can work out. 

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Brujan DFA frees up jersey #17 for Eovaldi

[cl smooth]

C’mon, Cubs…trade somebody!

 

[We Got The Whole 9]

I think it will be Caissie and Alcantara headlining a package for Suarez. Anyone think they would give Shaw some LF looks?

[Randall Simon]

1 minute ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

I think it will be Caissie and Alcantara headlining a package for Suarez. Anyone think they would give Shaw some LF looks?

0% chance Caissie is traded for a rental. 

[mul21]

4 minutes ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

I think it will be Caissie and Alcantara headlining a package for Suarez. Anyone think they would give Shaw some LF looks?

There's no way they trade one, let alone two, top 100 prospects for a rental position player.

Edited July 30, 2025 by mul21

[NorthsideAvenger]

13 minutes ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

I think it will be Caissie and Alcantara headlining a package for Suarez. Anyone think they would give Shaw some LF looks?

Jim Bowden, is that you?

[We Got The Whole 9]

Alcantara is so borderline

[Jason Ross]

There are only a few teams left in a Suarez market. The Cubs are not insane enough to trade both Caissie and Alcantara for him. Jed loves his values and he doesn't budge. 

I do think it'd be Alcantara and something. Jordan Wicks would make sense. But I would be shocked to see Caissie go for a rental let alone with Kevin in a rental.

[Tryptamine]

22 minutes ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

I think it will be Caissie and Alcantara headlining a package for Suarez. Anyone think they would give Shaw some LF looks?

This would be just a monumental overpay. 

[TarzanJoeWallis]

Just now, We Got The Whole 9 said:

I think it will be Caissie and Alcantara headlining a package for Suarez. Anyone think they would give Shaw some LF looks?

Are you saying both? I think there is zero chance of that. 

[WhyCantWeWin]

Might as well give them Horton and Shaw too

[JD94]

6 minutes ago, Jason Ross said:

There are only a few teams left in a Suarez market. The Cubs are not insane enough to trade both Caissie and Alcantara for him. Jed loves his values and he doesn't budge. 

I do think it'd be Alcantara and something. Jordan Wicks would make sense. But I would be shocked to see Caissie go for a rental let alone with Kevin in a rental.

Alcantara and Wicks for Suarez seems stout man. I know it’s a sellers market, but I just can’t get there with how Shaw is playing. I’d rather just go get Castro, Jax, and a SP than Suarez if that’s the cost. 

[Jason Ross]

8 minutes ago, JD94 said:

Alcantara and Wicks for Suarez seems stout man. I know it’s a sellers market, but I just can’t get there with how Shaw is playing. I’d rather just go get Castro, Jax, and a SP than Suarez if that’s the cost. 

It wouldn't be my go-to move, but to play devils' advocate I'll say this:

Trading for Suarez doesn't have to mean Shaw sits indefinitely. He could play against every LHP, with Suarez at 1b (he just made a start there for Arizona) and play multiple times a week against RHP, giving Suarez, Swanson and Hoener time off (likely not at SS but with Nico sliding over?). 

And while the difference between the two might not be monumental, it's important to note that while fractional wins mean little when you're talking <90wins, once you start talking getting over the 90 win hump, they become more valuable. There would be reason to find that valuable for a Cubs team sitting in that range.

Whatever is traded for Suarez will need to eclipse the value of the QO that he would turn down, and it seems inevitable that his price tag will be more than most rentals recently.

[cubfansince77]

5 hours ago, ILMindState said:

 

 

Ya hear that Jed? Hello......JED?????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Brian707]

Giants appear to be sellers.  Verlander could be cheap.  I know he is 87 years old 

[gflore34]

6 minutes ago, cubfansince77 said:

Ya hear that Jed? Hello......JED?????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I guess we'll have to wait until tomorrow, all the big rentals will be off the board by then, can you say Adrian Houser, some nondescript reliever plus a Brujan+ type utility player?

[Hot Sauce]

Ryan Helsley is headed to the Mets.

Edited July 30, 2025 by Hot Sauce

[Backtobanks]

9 minutes ago, Brian707 said:

Giants appear to be sellers.  Verlander could be cheap.  I know he is 87 years old 

Giants are listening on Doval.  I would love to get Doval and Flores.  The price should be cheap - BTV has Doval at 3.5 and Flores at -.7.  Doval is reaching arbitration next year and doesn't hit FA until 2028.

[tartan222]

one weird thing about this deadline is that other than suarez, we kind of feel like we're in our own lane for a lot of our major targets. doesn't seem like we were nearly as heavy on the established reliever market as other teams, and i don't think there are many other teams that are super serious about going after SPs with team control like we (reportedly) are. 

as a result, we're not really getting namedropped as much as other buyers in the past ~48 hours, and we aren't getting constant updates on the status of guys like cabrera the same way some other big names are getting covered. makes it hard to tell how active we're really being or how big we're truly willing to go.

(not saying that means anything for what we will/won't do. just think that if we do make a big move, there's a good chance it's more "out of nowhere" timing-wise, in contrast to players with a more active market who have sparked a steady drip of rumors before the news finally broke)

[Hot Sauce]

2 minutes ago, Backtobanks said:

Giants are listening on Doval.  I would love to get Doval and Flores.  The price should be cheap - BTV has Doval at 3.5 and Flores at -.7.  Doval is reaching arbitration next year and doesn't hit FA until 2028.

Flores all day! 

[Dfan25]

If they don’t get a SP with control then my best case scenario would. be :

Suarez / Kelly / Bieber / Iglesias / backup CF .

 

i admit they are  more likely to end up with Houser as the 2nd SP

Edited July 30, 2025 by Dfan25