Cubs Have The Perfect Prospect To Land Reid Detmers or Jose Soriano

The Chicago Cubs are actively searching for a starting pitcher at this year’s trade deadline. 

And it looks like the Los Angeles Angels could be the Cubs’ best bet to land a top-of-the-line starting pitcher. 

The Angels have two controllable starting pitchers that could be on the move by the August 3rd trade deadline. Reid Detmers and Jose Soriano are both drawing some interest from contending teams that need a premier starter. 

Detmers is in the midst of a solid year on the mound. He has a 4.05 ERA, 1.100 WHIP, and 136 strikeouts across 120 innings pitched. He has thrown eight quality starts and just recently threw 5 ⅔ innings of one-run ball with six strikeouts against the Cardinals on Wednesday.  

The two things to love about Detmers are his underlying metrics and his contract. 

Even though his 4.05 ERA might not look like anything special, both his expected ERA (3.31) and FIP (3.27) are much lower. Detmers also ranks in the top half of the league in expected batting average against (.219), chase rate (31.9%), whiff rate (28.6%), strikeout rate (27.6%), and walk rate (7.5%). 

Then, there’s his contract. Detmers will not be a free agent until after the 2028 season, meaning the Cubs would have him for the rest of the 2026 season, and all of the 2027 and 2028 campaigns. The Angels left-hander would be the controllable starter the team is looking for. 

Soriano is another controllable starter from the Angels that the Cubs could be targeting at the deadline. The right-hander has a solid 3.43 ERA and 122 strikeouts across 118 innings pitched this season and won’t be a free agent until after the 2028 season as well. 

While it remains to be seen if the Angels will trade away two pitchers with 2 ½ more years of team control, both pitchers could be a potential target for the Cubs if they are deemed available ahead of the trade deadline.  

The North Siders would almost certainly be a suitor for both pitchers. They need some starting pitching help, and Chicago’s front office is always looking to acquire pitchers with multiple years of control. Look at Edward Cabrera this past offseason. 

The Angels might also be interested in what the Cubs have to offer because Ken Rosenthal reported that Los Angeles is interested in “acquiring a young catcher.” 

The Cubs have a young, ascending catcher in the minors right now who could be a logical trade target for the Angels. Owen Ayers is one of the biggest risers in the Cubs’ system this year and is now the No. 3-ranked prospect in the organization on MLB Pipeline. 

If the Cubs can swing a trade for either Detmers/Soriano with Ayers as the top prospect in the deal, it’s a move they could be looking to make. Both pitchers project well moving forward and are only 27 years old.