6 Cubs trade deadline targets, ranked from likely to long shots

6 Cubs trade targets, ranked most likely to least likely: #3 - David Robertson

Again, another familiar face - and you could easily swap him out for someone like Carl Edwards Jr., another former Cub who's enjoying a strong 2023 season in the bullpen. But given Robertson's dominance in the Big Apple this year and the fact he's on a one-year deal, a reunion can't be ruled out should the Mets sell.

That's far from a certainty, of course. Sporting the largest payroll in MLB history, New York owner Steve Cohen would surely prefer to add at the deadline, assuming his team plays well out of the break. But if not, a late-30s reliever who's still at the peak of his game could help the team bolster the farm system, which Cohen has always insisted is the key to sustained success.

Robertson made 36 appearances with a 2.23 ERA last year for the Cubs before Hoyer traded him to the Phillies at the deadline and he's been just as good, if not better, in 2023, with a 2.06 ERA in 36 first-half appearances, filling in for the injured Edwin Diaz. Slotting the veteran right-hander into a late-inning role alongside Adbert Alzolay could give Chicago a lethal one-two punch at the back end of the bullpen.