It’s a good time for the Chicago Cubs to start thinking about who they can use as trade chips this season.
Clearly, the Cubs are passing their tests early in the 2025 season. After two years of mediocrity, Chicago looks like the front-runner in the National League Central. But to compete for a World Series, they’ll need more firepower.
The rotation already looked like a weak point before Justin Steele went on the season-ending injured list two weeks ago. Now, the Cubs’ need for a starting pitcher looks more desperate, and they should be willing to move real pieces to get the extra ace they need.
Who might the Cubs trade away? One writer has identified an intriguing left-handed pitcher with rotation experience that might be on the move.
On Saturday, Jordan Campbell of FanSided identified 25-year-old Jordan Wicks as a top potential trade chip for the Cubs to cash in if other teams are interested in him in deals for bigger stars on the mound.
“It seems rather obvious that Jordan Wicks would be included in a potential deal,” Campbell wrote. “Despite opening the 2024 season in the Cubs’ starting rotation, Wicks has seemingly become an afterthought on the Cubs’ pitching staff.
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“Given the past success Wicks has flashed at the major league level, he likely will be one of the first pitchers that selling teams ask about when talking with the Cubs. Given how the Cubs have utilized him in 2025, they likely wouldn’t be opposed to keeping him off limits.”
Wicks was the Cubs’ first-round pick in the 2021 draft, and he’s shown that he possesses big-league stuff even if the numbers aren’t fully supportive of him as a full-time rotation piece. In 20 major league outings, including 17 starts, he’s 6-6 with a 5.23 ERA, striking out 68 batters in 82 2/3 innings.
Obviously, Wicks wouldn’t be the headliner in a deal for, say, Sandy Alcantara. But he could be a number-four starter someday if everything clicks, and that’s a great piece to have in a deal as a mid-level throw-in.
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