Cubs best trade target might be $56M Marlins righty, not Tarik Skubal

Cubs best trade target might be $56M Marlins righty, not Tarik Skubal originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Chicago Cubs, even after trading with the New York Mets for David Peterson, still desperately need more starting pitching help.

Looking at the team’s rotation, Justin Steele isn’t going to be a starter, Cade Horton is done for the year, and now Edward Cabrera, Ben Brown, Jameson Taillon, and Matthew Boyd are all on the injured list.

This team needs another starter this summer by the August 3 trade deadline. Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report agrees, and while Tarik Skubal and Freddy Peralta were not called the Cubs’ best trade target, Miami Marlins $56 million righty Sandy Alcantara was.

Cubs named as Sandy Alcantara’s landing spot

“With nary a top 75 prospect in this farm system, trading for Tarik Skubal is a pipe dream. Acquiring Freddy Peralta probably isn’t happening, either,” Miller writes. “If Miami ultimately ends up selling, though, this could be where Sandy Alcantara lands.”

With the Cubs unlikely to have the ammo needed to acquire Skubal from the Detroit Tigers, if they’re even selling this summer, and Peralta not being an ideal option, Alcantara is one of the more sensible trade options for the Cubs.

Reuniting him with Cabrera is a fun storyline, but more importantly, Alcantara is a right-handed starter who has Cy Young upside and would be a great addition to this rotation.

MORE: Tigers‘ projected trade return for Tarik Skubal from Braves would be a top-100 prospect and more

He’s 30 years old and in the final year of a five-year, $56 million deal. But, he also has a $21 million club option for the 2027 season, giving the Cubs a year and a half of control for the former Cy Young winner.

Alcantara has a 4.01 ERA this season in 17 starts, with an 8-4 record and 1.3 bWAR. He would be one of the best starting pitchers in the Cubs’ rotation if he were added today.

This team needs more pitching help, and Alcantara would be one of the best possible options this team could add. Miller linked the two in a trade, and if Jed Hoyer could get a deal across the finish line, it would be a quality move to make by this year’s deadline.

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