3 offseason Cubs trade targets that aren't viable Justin Steele replacements

The Chicago Cubs are set to face the San Diego Padres on Monday night in a game where they get a fresh look at one of their former top pitching prospects, Dylan Cease.

While the Los Angeles Dodgers continue to be the talk of Major League Baseball, it has been the San Diego Padres who have opened the 2025 season as the best team in the National League West. The Padres are 13-3 on the season. Of course, two of those losses came against the Chicago Cubs earlier this season.

The Padres' hot start to the season likely complicates life for the Cubs as they look for potential Justin Steele replacements. The Cubs will likely look internally to fill Steele's spot in the rotation as they continue through the first month of the season but conventional wisdom would point toward the team pivoting to the trade market in the near future.

The Cubs briefly looked toward the trade market during the offseason in a quest to add another top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher but a deal never materialized. With the season underway, there are already some offseason trade targets who can probably be ruled out.

3 offseason Cubs trade targets that aren't viable

1. Dylan Cease

Cease is at the top of the list for offseason trade targets who may not be an option for the Cubs. Cease is a free agent after the 2025 season, so the Cubs may look in his direction during the offseason depending on Steele's recovery timeline. Short of the Padres falling out of contention, it would seem unlikely that the Padres make Cease available before the MLB Trade Deadline in July.

2. Michael King

Cease's teammate with the Padres, Michael King, was another pitcher the Cubs were rumored to be interested in trading for this past offseason. As with Cease, King is set to become a free agent this winter. The Padres are known to be creative with their trades, so never say never, but as long as they're in contention, it's tough to find a deal for both teams to match up on that wouldn't hurt either's chances of contending in 2025.

3. Jordan Montgomery

As the Cubs were looking for suitors for Cody Bellinger this offseason, there was a thought that the team could swap Bellinger for Jordan Montgomery of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Montgomery was ire of the Diamondbacks' ownership during his 2024 struggles but has since undergone Tommy John surgery and is out for the rest of the season.