The Chicago Cubs desperately need a starting pitcher to be serious contenders down the stretch.
Chicago has struggled over the past two weeks and haven’t been stringing a lot of wins together, especially against teams over .500.
This is partially because the dynamic offense has cooled off despite getting most of their runs from the home run ball.
The other reason is because of starting pitching. Losing Justin Steele for the season hurts, and being without Shota Imanaga for almost two months hasn’t helped either.
Jameson Taillon and Matthew Boyd have stepped up, and Cade Horton has gotten better with each outing, but Colin Rea and Ben Brown haven’t been great.
Rea had a strong start to the season and had success in the starting rotation when Imanaga first went down, but he has struggled mightily over his last few starts.
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If the Cubs want to go all-in on what could be Kyle Tucker’s only season in Chicago, they must bring in a quality starter before the trade deadline.
MLB Network analyst and former Cub Mark DeRosa wants the Cubs to trade for Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara.
“His last four starts he’s been really good,” said DeRosa. “He can brush it up to 99 (miles per hour), somebody out there is going to come get this guy.
“You know where I’d like to see him go? Cubs. The Cubs need a starter. Cubs are real, man. Come on! Let’s get it done, Cubbies.”
Alcantara, 29, had a rough start to the season but is starting to find his groove. Overall, Alcantara is 4-8 with a 6.69 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP after undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing the entire 2024 season.
In his last four starts, the former National League Cy Young winner is 2-1 with a 2.74 ERA.
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