3 Affordable Pitchers Who Just Might Save the 2026 Cubs

It’s no secret that the Chicago Cubs have been decimated by injuries, specifically in their starting rotation. With Edward Cabrera, Ben Brown, Jameson Taillon, Cade Horton and Justin Steele all still on the mend, here are three pitchers the Cubs could trade for without shelling out an absurd amount of either money (they're already near the maximum the Rickettses will want to spend) or talent (since their farm system isn't strong and needs to be bolstered, rather than gutted). 

Joe Ryan
"Affordable" doesn't always mean "cheap," and Ryan would certainly come with a cost. The 30-year-old right-handed pitcher is currently on an arbitration-avoiding $6.1 million dollar deal. Technically, there's a mutual option in there for next season, but that will be declined; he'll be arbitration-eligible for the last time this winter. The Minnesota Twins are 45-47, so they would be likely sellers in a normal year. However, the American League is so chaotic this season that almost everybody could make a case that their playoff hopes are still alive with about 70 games to go. Prying Ryan loose, with a year-plus of team control left and Minnesota in the hunt, won't be easy.

It should be worth it, though. Ryan’s advanced analytics jump off the chart. His 28.8% strikeout rate clearly identifies him as the type of pitcher the Cubs rotation has desperately needed and hopelessly lacked for a long time: the bat-missing kind. Unlike many guys who show the ability to rack up punchouts, though, he also fills up the zone, and has a 5.4% walk rate this year. His chase and whiff rates are also above league average, and a .209 expected opponent batting average implies there is no luck involved in what has been one of the second All-Star season of his career. 

It's a six-pitch arsenal, featuring a fastball, sweeper, knuckle-curve, split-finger, sinker and slider. Half of those pitches (the sweeper, knuckle-curve and split-finger) have generated an opposing batting average below the Mendoza line. This is someone with control, deception and plenty of tools in his tool box. He would slot into the top of the Cubs’ rotation beautifully. Financially, he wouldn't cost that much. It would take a haul to land him, but once they did, they would be able to plan for Ryan being a co-ace with Cade Horton in 2027, and they'd end up saving enough money and future prospect capital to make the investment now feel worthwhile.

Robbie Ray
Unlike the American League, there are definite sellers in the National League. The San Francisco Giants fall into that category, sitting at 38-53 and 11.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot. Ray, who is making $25 million in the final year of his deal with the Giants, will be a free agent after the conclusion of this season. 

Considering Ray would be a 34-year-old rental, he shouldn’t be terribly expensive in this year’s trade market. With that being said, he could still provide the Cubs with some much-needed stability in a rotation that has been hammered with IL stints. Ray consistently disrupts hitters' swings, and is particularly adept at getting them out on the front foot. He's also been durable lately, taking the ball every turn through the rotation since the start of 2025.

Most of his advanced analytics are below average; he doesn’t have crazy strikeout stuff or a chase rate that will blow any scouts away. What he does have is a strong fastball-slider combo, a 1-2 sequence he uses 54% of the time. All five of his pitches have held opposing batters to an average below the .240 mark, and despite allowing a 19.6° launch angle, the second-steepest of his career, the average exit velocity is down from its usual spot at 89.0. This is someone who picks his way through a lineup. He’s on a team that should be in sell mode, and he’d be ultra cheap considering his expiring contract. If needed, the Cubs could slightly juice the return to get the Giants to pay down the money he's still owed.

Sandy Alcantara
Ryan is the best pitcher on this list as this point, but because of his pedigree and his fit with the team, Alcantara would make the biggest splash on a team in desperate need of some reliable starting pitching. Signed to a long-term deal in late 2021, he has a club option that kicks in for the 2027 season before he becomes eligible for free agency.

The Miami Marlins are currently holding on to the final NL Wild Card spot, and are playing so well of late that they might be buyers, not sellers. With that being said, Miami is a smaller market who holds a valuable gem in the 30-year-old righty. Alcantara’s fastball velocity is still excellent, with the pitch riding in at an average of 97.4 miles per hour with plenty of arm-side run. The veteran righty just surpassed 1,000 career strikeouts, and he’s holding seven different pitches in what has turned into a deadly arsenal. 

His strikeout numbers are down this year, but he’s become a master of mitigating hard contact. The 5.2% barrel percentage and 45.2% ground ball rate have been keys to his success in a season where he’s eaten 123 2/3 innings already. He'd be so good in front of the Cubs' elite defense that it's hard not to dream on this one. Miami would have to fall out of contention for Alcantara to become available at a price point the Cubs would deem affordable, but if that happens, Jed Hoyer should pounce.