Cubs could take offseason chance on forgotten Mets pitcher with plenty left to offer

Pitching is a problem for the Chicago Cubs and that doesn't change with a new season. In fact, the team's issues look even bigger when you think about the turnover awaiting the staff once the 2026 season concludes. Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes, Matthew Boyd, David Peterson, Aaron Civale and Colin Rea are all free agents.

Jed Hoyer will have the financial flexibility to play at the top of the free-agent market - but a foray into the trade market can't be ruled out either, similar to last winter, when the Cubs balked at open-market asking prices and wound up acquiring Edward Cabrera from the Miami Marlins.

One potential dark-horse Cubs trade target? Young New York Mets right-hander Jonah Tong.

Tong, who just turned in the best start of his MLB career against the Orioles at Citi Field, has struggled at the big-league level and how he finishes the 2026 campaign could determine whether or not David Stearns and the Mets see him as a long-term asset or if they're better off trading him this winter.

He entered the year as a top-50 prospect, according to Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, but the elite results we've seen him produce in the minors have never translated in New York. In limited action (just 39 2/3 innings), the 23-year-old hurler carries a 5.45 ERA and 1.462 WHIP.

He's just one year removed from posting a 1.59 ERA in 20 starts at Triple-A, but his numbers came back to earth this season as he battled control issues stemming from mechanical changes he made this spring. Whether it's in New York or elsewhere, getting him back to what he was in 2025 will be a top offseason priority heading into next season.

Cubs need high-ceiling arms, but a Jonah Tong trade won't come cheap

If you think the Mets are simply going to dump Tong, you've got another thing coming. Like I said, he's still only 23 and there's reason to believe that if he can iron out his mechanical issues, he could be a top-of-the-rotation presence for years to come.

I needn't remind you of the Cubs' seeming inability to develop young, high-ceiling arms, so the appeal of a pitcher like Tong is evident. My guess would be any deal needs to include a top-50 prospect going to Queens in the deal which, for the Cubs, means Josiah Hartshorn. I'd be shocked to see Hoyer move his prized outfield prospect, who has made history across multiple levels of the minors this year.

Chicago hoped the Cabrera trade would be Hoyer's big trade that paid off. Instead, he's been a major disappointment. Given the Cubs' recent successes coming out on top in trades with the Mets, could he once again look to the Big Apple for an answer? Even if he does, it's going to take a painful package to pry Tong away from the Mets.

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