Chicago Cubs slapped with more discouraging news on trade front

The Chicago Cubs desperately need to make some moves if they want to make a push for World Series contention this season. Actually, at this point, they probably need to swing some trades if they even want to make the playoffs.

While the Cubs have holes everywhere, their most prominent area of need is their starting rotation, which has been among the worst in baseball.

Chicago acquired Edward Cabrera from the Miami Marlins over the winter, but that deal has not gone according to plan. Justin Steele remains sidelined, and Matthew Boyd is still making his way back from a freak knee injury.

Times are tough for the Cubs’ pitching staff, so they will almost certainly need to add at least one pitcher if they want to be taken seriously in the NL Central the rest of the way.

A commonly mentioned potential target is New York Mets right-hander Freddy Peralta, with whom Chicago is very familiar from his days with the Milwaukee Brewers. But while Peralta may seem like a good fit, the hurdles to land him may prove too challenging to overcome for the Cubs.

Chicago Cubs receive bad news on Freddy Peralta

The catch with Peralta is that he is slated to hit free agency next offseason, so it’s entirely possible that Chicago would only be getting him for two months.

Based on the recent report by Bob Nightengale of USA Today that Peralta is seeking a contract similar to the eight-year, $218 million deal Max Fried received from the New York Yankees in December 2024, that may very well take the Cubs out of the running for his services.

Jed Hoyer spends, but he probably wouldn’t be willing to go that far on Peralta. Especially not after just handing Alex Bregman $35 million annually over five years. It’s also important to note that he has a bunch of free agents of his own he must attend to next winter, such as Shota Imanaga, Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ.

Would Chicago really be able to fit Peralta’s contract into the mix?

It’s also worth questioning if Peralta is even worth that much. While he posted a 2.70 ERA during his final season with the Brewers last year, he has recorded a 3.63 ERA, 4.01 FIP and 1.319 WHIP with the Mets thus far in 2026. He owns a lifetime 3.59 ERA, so he really isn’t an ace. And that’s ace money.

Perhaps the Cubs should look elsewhere for a starting pitcher, but the market might start drying up quicker than they thought.

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