Luis Castillo, Jesus Luzardo among pitchers Cubs connected to in latest trade rumor

Now that the Chicago Cubs have found their superstar bat in the form of Kyle Tucker, it seems that the focus for the Cubs will shift back toward upgrading their pitching staff.

Prior to the Winter Meetings, the Cubs were connected to a variety of pitchers on the trade market including Luis Castillo of the Seattle Mariners and Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox. Crochet was the big trade at the Winter Meetings as the White Sox shipped him to the Boston Red Sox, with the sense being that the Cubs were no longer involved in the sweepstakes.

The Mariners did not trade Castillo at the Winter Meetings but Adam Jude of The Seattle Times still has the Cubs among the teams interested in the former Cincinnati Reds' starting pitcher.

The Mariners have yet to address their infield need with the sense prior to the Winter Meetings being that they were zeroing in on Nico Hoerner being their primary trade target. With the Cubs moving Isaac Paredes as part of the Kyle Tucker trade, a trade of Hoerner has a different feel to it as the team now has a clear opening at third base for top prospect Matt Shaw. However, if Hoerner is moved as a part of a trade for a starting pitcher, Shaw could move to second base.

Beyond Castillo, Bob Nightengale of USA Today mentioned that the Cubs have expressed an interest in trading for Miami Marlins' starting pitcher Jesús Luzardo.

Luzardo is under team control through 2026 and as we wrote last offseason, would be an ideal trade target for the Cubs' rotation. Injuries limited Luzardo to 12 starts last season, posting a 5.00 ERA in 66.2 innings pitched.

Expanding upon the interest in Luzard, Bruce Levine had a more defined report on the framework of a potential deal with the Marlins.

Owen Caissie being involved in a potential deal feels like a reach given that Luzard hasn't quite reached his ceiling with the Marlins. James Triantos seems like an ideal prospect at the center of this potential trade. Triantos doesn't have a clear path to the Major League roster with the Cubs, making a move to the Marlins all that more plausible.

The arrival of Tucker has shifted the tune of the Cubs' offseason. Now, the addition of a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher would put the Cubs as the clear favorites to win the National League Central in 2025.