It's been reported multiple times over the past few months that the Chicago Cubs are interested in adding to their starting rotation. After Justin Steele went down with a tough injury that will require him to miss the remainder of the campaign, the Cubs understood almost instantly when the season started that they needed to figure something out on the mound. Sportsnaut was the most recent to bring up the two again, predicting the Cubs to land the former All-Star in a deal at the trade deadline.
Cubs Predicted to Pass on Sandy Alcantara, Land Mitch Keller originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
It's been reported multiple times over the past few months that the Chicago Cubs are interested in adding to their starting rotation. After Justin Steele went down with a tough injury that will require him to miss the remainder of the campaign, the Cubs understood almost instantly when the season started that they needed to figure something out on the mound.
They've been linked to multiple names, with right-hander Mitch Keller of the Pittsburgh Pirates being a prevalent one.
Sportsnaut was the most recent to bring up the two again, predicting the Cubs to land the former All-Star in a deal at the trade deadline.
“Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara entered the season as one of the most coveted MLB trade candidates. He struggled out of the gate but then seemed to rebound with a 2.12 ERA in three starts to open June. At that point, it certainly seemed plausible he could be traded, and the Chicago Cubs appeared to be the perfect match. Since then, Alcantara has allowed 21 earned runs and 30 hits in his last 23 innings pitched, entering the All-Star Break with a 7.22 ERA and a –1.6 bWAR. Miami might keep him because his declining trade value right now,” they wrote.
As they touched on, Sandy Alcantara is also a potential trade candidate, but he hasn't thrown the baseball at the level he was expected to when entering the season.
It hasn't been like Keller has been unhittable, but Alcantara has been brutal with his 7.22 ERA.
It feels safe to say that if the Cubs have an opportunity to land Alcantara, it wouldn't be surprising to see them go after him, but right now, as crazy as it might’ve sounded a few years ago, Keller might be the safer bet.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Baseball
