With Cade Horton sidelined, the Cubs are hunting for rotation depth. However, a proposed blockbuster for Freddy Peralta may prove too costly for Chicago’s prized farm system.
There has been a lot of talk in recent days about the Chicago Cubs’ desire to acquire a starting pitcher at this year’s trade deadline.
Cubs insider Bruce Levine reported last week that the Cubs are one of the teams that have called the Mets about All-Star pitcher Freddy Peralta, and MLB insider Hector Gomez recently reported that the North Siders are “showing interest” in both Peralta and Sandy Alcantara.
It’s no secret that the Cubs will be doing all they can to trade for a starting pitcher by the August 3rd trade deadline. Losing Cade Horton for the season will likely force the front office to be more aggressive than usual in the trade market this summer.
So, what would a trade look like for one of these starting pitchers?
MLB Nerds put together an early mock trade between the Cubs and the Mets. They have the Cubs receiving two pitchers (one of whom is Peralta) in exchange for three high-upside prospects.
Cubs acquire: RHP Freddy Peralta & LHP Brooks Raley
Mets acquire: RHP Jaxon Wiggins (No. 1 prospect) & OF Ethan Conrad (No. 4 prospect) & 1B Jonathon Long (No. 7 prospect)
While the Cubs would be receiving the best player in the deal and a high-quality reliever in Raley, there is no way the front office would do this trade.
Chicago would never give up three of their top-7 prospects for two players on expiring deals. Both Peralta and Raley will be free agents after the 2026 season, and it’s hard to imagine the Cubs getting rid of both Wiggins and Conrad in a trade for them.
Wiggins is the Cubs’ top prospect, while Conrad was the team's first-round selection in the 2025 MLB Draft. Both prospects have extremely high ceilings, and the front office likely wouldn’t give both away for two pitchers with no years of control.
This is probably an offer the Cubs would reject instantly. They don’t have many pitching prospects in their farm system as it is, and it’s still too early to give up on Conrad despite all the injuries he has dealt with since being drafted.
It’s unclear right now what New York would want for Peralta at the trade deadline. There is a good chance, though, that the Mets want a sizeable package, considering they traded away their No. 3 prospect (Jett Williams) and No. 5 prospect (Brandon Sproat) to acquire Peralta in late January.
If the Mets make Peralta available at the trade deadline, the Cubs will likely have to offer multiple prospects in return. However, there’s no way the front office would get rid of Wiggins, Conrad, and Long to make it happen.