Cubs insider reveals bleak trade deadline update for Chicago

To say that the Chicago Cubs are in freefall would be putting it lightly. Since achieving their second 10-game winning streak of the season early last month, the Cubs have lost 17 of their last 22 games to drop to 32-29 and fourth place in the NL Central, and a litany of problems have caused the collapse.

Of course, the most commonly identified issue with Chicago has been its starting rotation, which has been nothing short of disastrous in 2026.

Not a single Cubs starter has lived up to their billing this year, and it doesn’t help that the rotation has been ravaged by injuries, either.

As a result, Chicago is expected to heavily pursue pitching help before the MLB trade deadline, and the Cubs have already been linked to numerous big names such as Sandy Alcantara, Robbie Ray and Freddy Peralta. But will Chicago actually be able to swing a move for any of them?

Patrick Mooney of The Athletic provided an update on the Cubs’ trade hunt this week, and it wasn’t incredibly encouraging.

Chicago Cubs might have to wait a long time for a trade

Because the trade deadline isn’t until Aug. 3, Chicago may not be able to complete any deals right now, and Mooney feels that a delay may be inevitable.

“While the Chicago Cubs have engaged in preliminary trade conversations, a team source described those check-ins as standard due diligence,” Mooney wrote. “With two months until the Aug. 3 deadline, and a pitching staff dragged down by injuries, the expectation remains that the club will first have to find internal solutions.”

Essentially, no teams are willing to trade any of their big fish at this point, which isn’t too surprising.

Because six teams from each league make the playoffs, just about everyone is still in contention, and even those teams that are falling out of it may want to wait to make a move. The closer we get to the deadline, the more prices increase because of bidding wars.

So for now, the Cubs may have to try and find answers from within their own organization, and the good news is that pitchers like Edward Cabrera and Matthew Boyd appear to be nearing returns from their IL stints.

But does Chicago have enough pitching overall to stay afloat in the loaded NL Central? We’re about to find out.

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