Facing a depleted rotation and a looming deadline, Chicago eyes a controllable southpaw whose elite underlying metrics suggest a breakout performance is coming behind an elite defense.
The Chicago Cubs will be looking for some rotation help at this year’s trade deadline.
There’s no secret that the Cubs will be doing all they can to acquire a top-of-the-line starting pitcher by next week’s deadline. Cade Horton is out for the year, Justin Steele won’t start any games this season, Ben Brown is still in the early stage of his recovery, and Edward Cabrera is still a few weeks away.
They also just recently designated Jameson Taillon for assignment. Taillon was a big part of the Cubs’ rotation last year, and Chicago expected him to be a big part of the playoff push this season. However, his recent struggles forced the front office’s hand to part ways with the 10-year veteran.
That will give the Cubs even more incentive to go get a top starting pitcher by the August 3rd deadline. While there are still some question marks about which pitchers will actually be available, Chicago is already calling teams about potential trade targets.
National MLB insider Russell Dorsey recently reported that the Cubs have shown interest in Los Angeles Angels left-hander Reid Detmers. He also mentioned that the Chicago White Sox are another team that is in on the young southpaw.
Now, it’s not a guarantee that the Angels will even trade away Detmers despite being sellers at the deadline. The 27-year-old is still under team control for another 2 ½ seasons. He won’t be a free agent until after the 2028 campaign.
If Los Angeles does make him available, though, the Cubs are expected to be a suitor. The Angels are potentially looking for a catcher in any deal for one of their young pitchers, and the North Siders have the perfect catcher prospect to give them in a deal for Detmers.
Detmers’ numbers this season might not look like anything special on paper. He has a 4.05 ERA across 120 innings pitched and has given up some hard contact with a 28th percentile average exit velocity (89.8 mph). The Angels southpaw also has a 5.06 ERA over his last six starts since June 21.
However, Detmers would really be the perfect fit for the Cubs. He has pitched much better than his numbers suggest, and his numbers would absolutely improve while pitching in front of a Cubs defense that ranks first in defensive runs saved. Some positive regression should be headed his way down the stretch, given that his expected ERA (3.30) is 75 points lower than his actual ERA (4.05).
There are really two reasons to love Detmers as a potential trade target at the deadline.
The first is that he won’t be a free agent for a couple of seasons. The Cubs would have him for the rest of the 2026 season and the entire 2027 and 2028 campaigns. Acquiring him would give Chicago a much-needed controllable starter.
The second is that Detmers has the swing-and-miss stuff to really take off down the stretch. The 27-year-old currently ranks in the 65th percentile in chase rate (31.9%), 75th percentile in whiff rate (28.6%), and 83rd percentile in strikeout rate (27.6%). He also owns a solid 12.1% swinging strike rate.
Detmers checks a lot of boxes the Cubs like in a pitcher. He would be under team control for 2 ½ seasons and has some strikeout upside despite not throwing the ball hard (94.1 mph average fastball velocity). If he becomes available, expect Chicago’s front office to do everything it can to acquire him.
