One popular Cubs trade target might already be off the table if latest MLB insider intel is true

Joe Ryan has been a popular trade target for the Chicago Cubs in the past, and likely will be a trade target once again for Jed Hoyer this summer. As much as the Cubs say it's too early to turn to the trade market, circumstances all but confirm it's eventually going to be the direction the team takes.

FanSided's Robert Murray worked through some early trade deadline matches, and talked about the connection between Ryan and the Cubs. Murray states the obvious in that the Cubs will have interest in Ryan, but also adds that the Minnesota Twins are going to have a steep asking price. For those reasons, Murray doesn't think that Ryan will be the pitcher the Cubs acquire ahead of the deadline.

Short of the trade for Kyle Tucker, the Cubs have never taken aggressive approach in trade talks. Even their trade for Edward Cabrera of the Miami Marlins came after the two teams had been talking through potential deals for the past year. It's why it's hard to believe Hoyer would be the one to meet the asking price the Twins would have for Ryan.

Ryan is an ascending All-Star pitcher with one more year of arbitration after the 2026 season. That alone is going to make the asking price more than what the Cubs gave up for Cabrera. Along those lines, it's hard to envision a scenario where the Cubs would be able to trade for Ryan without sacrificing pieces from the major league roster. The only clear trade candidate the Cubs have on their major league roster is Matt Shaw.

Jed Hoyer will need to step out his comfort zone one more time

The reality of the situation is that Hoyer will need to prove the doubters wrong one more time this season. We've already been down the path where the Cubs had to take a big swing at the deadline and all they came away with was Michael Soroka and some loose change for the bullpen. That is why most MLB insiders don't expect the Cubs to be an aggressive buyer at the deadline.

That can't be the case this summer. The Cubs have acted like they have their chips pushed to the middle of the table for the 2026 season. For the most part, they've backed it up. But if the deadline passes with Hoyer once again admitting the team misevaluated the market, that would be a defining mistake for the front office moving forward.

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