Chicago Cubs: Two veteran pitchers may be suddenly available to aid strained staff

The Chicago Cubs are currently on a 3-game losing streak and mired in an offensive slump where they’ve scored just two runs and registered only eight hits over the last three games.

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Yet, they still sit atop the competitive NL Central Division and they’re still boasting the third-best record in all of baseball (27-15), behind the Atlanta Braves and Tampa Bay Rays.

And to make things especially amazing, the Cubs have been able to have this level of success while sporting a banged-up, strained pitching staff hobbled with injury.

Emerging ace Cade Horton was lost for the season in just his second start of the year with an elbow injury that required surgery. Opening Day starter Matthew Boyd is currently serving his second stint on the IL, this time on the shelf with a meniscus injury requiring surgery. He’s expected back some time after the All-Star break. Meanwhile, ace Justin Steele has suffered a setback in his recovery from last year’s elbow surgery and is also looking at a return date some time after the All-Star break.

The bullpen has been touched up as well, with relievers Caleb Thielbar, Hunter Harvey, and Riley Martin still on the IL and Daniel Palancia, Phil Maton, and Ethan Roberts just having recently returned from injury.

Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer has talked about the team’s interest in pursuing trades but, realistically, nothing big is likely to come through until closer to the August 3 trade deadline.

So, that means Chicago will have to work its way through about two-and-a-half months of fill-ins and stopgaps until something truly impactful can be acquired. That doesn’t mean, however, that some solid pieces to the pitching puzzle can’t be added to hold the team over to the deadline.

The Cubs may be looking at two such pickups essentially laid at their feet right now.

Eric Lauer DFAd by the Blue Jays

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Left-handed swingman Eric Lauer was just DFAd by the Toronto Blue Jays after a rough start to this 2026 season.

The 8-year veteran currently has an ugly 1-5 record with a 6.69 ERA after 8 appearances (6 starts). Last season, though, he bounced back from a 2-year run of Tommy John-related inactivity and recovery with a 3.18 ERA over 104.2 innings pitched. Throughout his career with the Blue Jays, Brewers, and Padres, he’s posted a lifetime ERA of 4.26 through 156 games.

Lauer, at the very least, would give the Cubs a live body and some innings. His ability to move between the rotation and the bullpen would give the team some added versatility as well. He does have a track record of major league success, so maybe the team’s pitching braintrust could get him back on track.

Matt Bowman may opt out of Twins contract

Righty reliever Matt Bowman might also be available very soon as he could opt out of his minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins if they don’t bring up him to the majors by this weekend.

The 34-year-old has bounced around a few teams since being initially released by the Twins in August of 2024. He would spend time with the Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros for the next season-and-a-half before being brought back to the Twins organization. Overall, he has a 4.38 lifetime ERA over 7 years, spread out over 7 teams.

Bowman is currently posting an ERA of 1.77 with a ground ball rate of nearly 55% over 20.1 innings at Triple-A St. Paul.

Any quality sinkerball pitcher would profile well when paired with the Cubs’ elite infield defense and Bowman could be a nice addition to a bullpen in need of consistency.

Obviously, Bauer and Bowman are not elite-level pitchers. But they could be quality role players on a Cubs team that needs a steady supply of arms to get them to the trade deadline or to a point where Steele and Boyd are back in action.

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Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-pitching-pickups-eric-lauer-matt-bowman/