Jed Hoyer's unhinged trade deadline ended the one hot take Cubs fans always had ready

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It's not an understatement to say that the 2026 trade deadline might be among the craziest in recent memory. From the weekend through Monday, one major deal after another flew by, from the obvious, like Tarik Skubal to the Dodgers, to the unexpected, like Jose Soriano to the Blue Jays. In the middle of the rush, the Chicago Cubs went in with reported hopes of adding at least three pitchers. On that front, Jed Hoyer did not disappoint.

The Northsiders kicked things off on Sunday by acquiring the Jays' stalwart veteran Kevin Gausman on a steal of a deal for two solid but unspectacular pieces in Ty Southisene and Brett Bateman. That already changed the rotation dramatically, giving them a postseason performer with a remarkable track record and enticing numbers under the hood with a 3.51 FIP compared to a 4.38 ERA. But that was just the beginning, as they proceeded to land yet another rental starter in Clay Holmes, a back-end power righty for the bullpen in Ryan Zeferjahn, a controllable change-of-scenery candidate in Braxton Garrett, and a solid bench bat in Tyrone Taylor.

While the initial report of Reid Detmers to Chicago turned out to be incorrect, the team still managed to address their needs and then some. They paid a pretty penny for it all, too. Jefferson Rojas, the team's #2 prospect by MLB Pipeline, was dealt not for a controllable player, but a pair of rentals, and Moises Ballesteros was shockingly shipped off for a reliever. They headline a haul of prospects given up that also includes notable names like Jonathon Long, Jace Beck, and Mason McGwire. Given the chance to meet the moment or play it safe like the 2025 deadline, Hoyer proved those who doubted him wrong.

It's not just the cost. These moves also included some much riskier and more creative plays in addition to adding certainty. Gausman and Holmes ranked among the best rental starters ahead of the deadline and fit well in front of a stalwart Cubs infield, but Garrett or Zeferjahn weren't traditionally "safe" moves. Neither was really on the radar for the team, yet both have high potential for the cost given up.

Garrett gives them a longer-term project with high upside coming off a missed season for Tommy John surgery last year. At his best, he posted a 3.66 ERA and 3.68 FIP in 159 2/3 innings in 2024 after a shortened breakout campaign in 2022, but he's struggled in his limited major league time this year. Zeferjahn, who is under control until 2031, has a big, high-strikeout arm and has been on a heater since June 1, posting a 1.38 ERA and 2.56 FIP over that stretch. A walk rate of 13.9% means there's still work to be done, though.

Jed Hoyer has been an aggressive dealer with the Cubs

It's understandable to be frustrated with Hoyer and the Cubs front office for their adherence to models, a hesitancy to spend big in free agency, and the infamous "2032" comment. However, a deadline like this, arguably one of, if not the most aggressive seen by a front office on the Northside ever, is a reminder of two things. First, the 2025 deadline was a uniquely seller-friendly situation in which few starting pitchers moved, and the ones who did were rentals who garnered eye-watering packages. Second, when this team has shown they've deserved it, Hoyer has been willing to reward them by pushing the chips in.

In 2023, the first semi-competitive year of Hoyer's tenure, he responded to the Cubs' status as a rising contender by adding perhaps the best rental bat of that deadline in Jeimer Candelario. 2024 saw him get aggressive again and trade beloved former Cub Christopher Morel and more in a package to get Isaac Paredes. Paredes was then flipped in another bold move for Kyle Tucker in the offseason.

Hoyer is no A.J. Preller, nor is he buying like the Dodgers, but almost nobody is year-after-year. He still acted with clear conviction this time to reward and rebuild a team that has battled through adversity with an abundance of positional prospects at his disposal, even if the cost stung. This looked more like a Theo Epstein deadline, treating the season as something precious worth fighting for.

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