Cubs still have a path to land an ace after the Jays beat them out on Shane Bieber

A name that repeatedly popped up in Chicago Cubs trade rumors in recent days was former American League Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber, who reportedly impressed several teams in his most recent rehab start as he nears a return from Tommy John surgery. But instead of Chicago, Bieber will pack his bags for Canada after being acquired in a deadline deal by the Toronto Blue Jays, pending medicals.

According to reports, it's a straight one-for-one swap, with Bieber heading to Toronto in exchange for Jays pitching prospect Khal Stephen. Stephen, a second-round pick in the 2024 draft, ranked as their #5 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, and is viewed as a guy who could make his way through the minors quickly. This year, between A, High-A and Double-A, the right-hander has been lights-out, pitching to a 2.06 ERA in 91 2/3 innings pitched.

Bieber, 30, hasn't had a clean journey back from the procedure. Initially targeting a June return to the mound, elbow soreness shut him down and delayed his comeback bid. He's looked sharp since ramping back up, though, and the Jays are hoping he'll be a major factor for their rotation as they look to bring home their first AL East title since 2015.

Plenty of top pitchers remain available ahead of today's trade deadline

The Cubs had hoped to reunite Bieber with his former Cleveland teammate, Matthew Boyd, and deliver a boost to a starting rotation that has weathered injury after injury this year. Given they didn't top the Mariners' bid for slugger Eugenio Suarez, I suspect there was a good deal of prospect overlap with potential deals for arms - and I still strongly believe Jed Hoyer will get his frontline starter before the day is up.

Names on the board include Marlins' right-handers Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera, Nationals' left-hander MacKenzie Gore and Minnesota Twins righty Joe Ryan, among others. I cannot stress this enough: you can't look at the team's pickups of Andrew Kittredge and Michael Soroka in a vacuum, because they are clearly part of a larger deadline plan.

So buckle up. We're in for a hectic day of rumors and trades - and we'll be in a better spot to evaluate Hoyer's performance come this evening when, hopefully, the Cubs have made some impactful additions as they look to re-claim top billing in the National League Central.