Chicago Cubs’ top trade target comes with screaming red flags

The Chicago Cubs are actually on a winning streak now, having won two straight following their 10-game skid. They are still right in the thick of the NL Central race, and they will almost certainly be very active between now and the MLB trade deadline.

The Cubs need help pretty much everywhere, but their primary source of concern all season long has been their starting rotation, which has been among baseball’s worst.

Injuries have certainly played a role in Chicago’s pitching woes, but the staff has also underperformed as a whole.

Fortunately for the Cubs, there should be plenty of intriguing starters available before Aug. 3, and it would be surprising — and beyond frustrating — if Chicago did not come away with at least one of them over the next couple of months.

One potential target that has regularly been floated for the Cubs is Miami Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara, who has been on the radar since last summer. But would pursuing the former NL Cy Young award winner actually be the best idea?

Chicago Cubs cannot ignore red flags on Sandy Alcantara

Alcantara has shown glimpses of the pitcher he once was before undergoing Tommy John surgery, like at the beginning of the season when he didn’t allow a run over his first 24 innings. Things have unraveled a bit since then, though.

The 30-year-old owns a 4.66 ERA on the campaign as a whole and has given up six or more runs four times. That included his most recent outing in which he was shelled for eight runs on 10 hits in 5.2 innings against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Alcantara’s 4.23 FIP and 3.78 xERA indicate that he has gotten a bit unlucky thus far. His 6.5 percent barrel rate is actually the same as his career average, and his hard-hit rate of 37.1 percent is below his lifetime mark of 39 percent.

The problem, however, is strikeouts.

Alcantara has never been a big strikeout guy, but he is averaging just 6.2 punchouts per nine innings in 2026, which is just far too low. That’s especially considering his ground-ball rate (45.6 percent) is his lowest since 2019.

The Marlins would surely ask the Cubs for quite a haul in return for Alcantara, who is making $17.3 million this season and has a $21 million club option for 2027. Would it be worth it for Chicago to trade such a significant package for an arm who clearly seems to be on the decline?

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