Former Cubs trade target fans begged for may now miss the entire 2026 season

Before it could even begin, Pablo Lopez's 2026 season may be over after the Minnesota Twins right-hander was diagnosed with a UCL tear this week that may require season-ending surgery.

Lopez, who drew trade interest from multiple teams, including the Chicago Cubs, as recently as last year, battled through an injury-shortened 2025 that included a teres major strain and a forearm strain that limited him to just 75 2/3 innings. When he was on the mound, he was very effective, evidenced by a 2.74 ERA - but the workload just wasn't there.

An All-Star in his first year with Minnesota back in 2023, Lopez initially came to the Twins via trade from the Miami Marlins in the Luis Arraez deal. He's under team control through 2027 via the four-year, $73.5 million extension he signed with the club in April 2023, so we likely haven't seen the last of him in a Twins uniform, even if he doesn't pitch this season.

Gut punch of an injury sidelines former Cubs trade target Pablo Lopez

It's a brutal spring training injury blow for a Twins team that jettisoned talent last summer en route to a 70-92 finish and failed sale on the part of ownership. Losing Lopez does them no favors, either. Even with him in the mix, Fangraphs pegged Minnesota as a 79-win team, hardly enough to be part of the playoff picture given the top-heavy American League.

Lopez has been connected to the Cubs in speculative rumors dating back more than a year, and had he been healthy last summer, he may have been on Jed Hoyer's short list as the team looked to bolster the rotation. Now, it's a very different story with another former Marlins right-hander, Edward Cabrera, the newest addition to the staff - while Lopez awaits a second opinion on his injury.

Like Lopez, Cabrera is a guy who never seemed to live up to his full potential in Miami - but the Cubs are hoping to help him take things to the next level in the years to come. If healthy, he could pair with Cade Horton to give Craig Counsell a legitimate 1-2 punch at the head of this staff, which is something Chicago sorely lacked last October.