Cubs trade deadline targets should include Mariners arm who suddenly has returned to form

With reports that the Miami Marlins will be buyers, not sellers, emerging this week, one potential avenue for Jed Hoyer and the Chicago Cubs to upgrade the starting rotation seems to be off the board. Available high-quality arms could be hard to acquire but, regardless, the pressure is on for Chicago to pull off something impactful.

Shoring up the rotation and the bullpen won't be easy and could force Hoyer into making some uncomfortable choices. Thinking along the lines of 'buyer-to-buyer' fits, Bleacher Report put together a proposal that's at least worth talking about with only days left until the All-Star break.

On Friday afternoon, my co-host Jordan Campbell and I talked about the possibility of the Cubs bringing Suzuki back in free agency this offseason given the lack of slug in the lineup outside of a select few, namely Pete Crow-Armstrong. Suzuki is coming off a 32-homer, 103-RBI campaign and is on pace to approach those marks again, so removing him from the equation - especially with no slug coming from Alex Bregman - would be a tough pill to swallow.

But a right-handed power bat is what the Mariners, who are in the thick of the AL West race, desperately needs - and Suzuki certainly fits the bill. I think it's far likelier the Cubs try to move someone like Kevin Alcantara as a big piece in a deal for a starter, but in a buyer-to-buyer trade like this, the M's are going to want a proven commodity capable of helping push them over the hump in 2026.

This wouldn't be the first time the Cubs have sniffed around Luis Castillo

In the closing weeks of 2024, the Cubs were connected to Jesus Luzardo and Castillo as they searched for rotation help. Luzardo, of course, wound up going to the Phillies after Chicago balked at his medicals and Castillo was never dealt and remains a workhorse in Seattle - and a recent return to form could have teams checking in on his availability at the deadline.

Over his last seven, the right-hander a 2.72 ERA - and despite a rocky start to the season, a 3.83 FIP on the year is hardly disastrous (especially considering what the Cubs are working with right now). Better yet, given the huge rotation turnover coming at the end of the year, Castillo has at least one more year left on his deal - and could have two, assuming he stays healthy and keeps stacking up innings.

I have a hard time believing the Cubs would trade Suzuki (and, remember, he's got full no-trade protection) - but Castillo fits the bill for the type of arm the team will be targeting, and is worth keeping an eye on as the trade deadline draws closer.

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