I get the feeling we're going to see another TDL where teams hang onto starting pitching for dear life and high quality relief pitchers will carry ludicrous prices.
As a result, as much as I'd like to think the Cubs can nab MacKenzie Gore or Joe Ryan or another #1/#2 type, I don't think their farm is in a good position to pull off a trade for either. Their top-end prospects are either not ML-ready (Ramirez, Rojas, Hartshorn) or carry serious questions (Alcantara's Ks/contact rates, Wiggins' health, Conrad's health). It's not like last season, where Mo and Caissie were easy to envision as immediate contributors to a team at the big league level. I almost think the Cubs would have to pull from the big league club to get a deal like that done, but I just don't see it happening.
It's disappointing, but we should probably prepare for another Soroka-type as the Cubs' headline acquisition at the deadline.