There have been many reports over the last few weeks detailing the Cubs' interest in acquiring a starting pitcher this offseason. 

Cubs insider Bruce Levine said the team is expected to show interest in free agent pitcher Dylan Cease. MLB insider Bob Nightengale also believes that the North Siders will go all out to acquire one of the top available pitchers, like Cease or Framber Valdez.

However, we shouldn’t be surprised if the Cubs trade for a top-of-the-line starting pitcher rather than sign Cease or Valdez to a multi-year deal. So, here are three pitchers the front office could look to trade for this offseason. 

There were rumblings that the Twins were shopping Joe Ryan at the Trade Deadline. While Minnesota ultimately didn’t trade him away, trade talks involving the 29-year-old could resume this offseason. 

That’s where the Cubs could come into play. 

Ryan has emerged as one of the top pitchers in baseball, with back-to-back strong seasons on the mound. In 2025, the right-hander had the best season of his career. He finished with a 3.42 ERA and 194 strikeouts while throwing a career-high 171 innings pitched. 

Now, it won’t be cheap to trade for Ryan, who made his first All-Star appearance in 2025. He is only set to make $6 million for the 2026 season and won’t be a free agent until after the 2027 season. 

So, the Cubs will likely have to part with a few of their top prospects to acquire Ryan from the Twins. He has multiple years of control left and won’t cost a ton toward the team’s payroll. But we shouldn’t put it past the front office to make this kind of move after acquiring Kyle Tucker via trade last offseason. 

The Cubs were supposedly in on Sandy Alcantara at last year’s Trade Deadline. Chicago wanted another rotation arm, and the Marlins were looking to trade the former National League Cy Young winner. However, Miami’s asking price appeared to be too high. 

After a dominant second half of the season for Alcantara, those trade talks could pick up where they left off in July. The 30-year-old had a 3.13 ERA and 69 strikeouts across 77 ⅔ innings pitched over his final 12 starts. 

Alcantara was definitely in a groove in those 12 starts following a rough first half. Considering the right-hander has a full year under his belt post Tommy John surgery, he should be much more consistent on the mound in 2026 and beyond. 

With the right-hander under control for the 2026 season and potentially for the 2027 season (club option), he could be a nice target for the Cubs this offseason. 

No team loves to buy players whose value is significantly low than the Cubs. Chicago has taken chances on plenty of pitchers in recent years, including Brad Keller, Ryan Pressly, Drew Pomeranz, Colin Rea, and Drew Smyly. Some worked out and some didn’t. 

For that reason, the Cubs could “buy-low” on Kodai Senga this offseason. According to Will Sammon of The Athletic, teams are showing some interest in trading for the Japanese pitcher this winter. 

Although there has been no word on whether the Mets would actually trade him, the team could at least entertain the idea after an abysmal second half. Senga had a 6.56 ERA across his final eight starts before being optioned to the Minor Leagues in early September.  

Despite those struggles, this is a pitcher the front office could try to trade for this offseason. He likely wouldn’t cost as much as Ryan or Alcantara and still has multiple years of control left.