Potential Cubs' late-inning trade deadline target is already drawing interest

As the Chicago Cubs’ schedule finally starts to lighten up at the end of this month and into May, it’s time to see what a roster that’s managed to hold its own against the best teams in MLB can really do. 

So far, an above-average offense and an overachieving rotation have carried the squad to first place in the NL Central but sooner or later, the bullpen is going to have to chip in on a far more consistent basis than it has so far. 

One way in which the Chicago Cubs could shore up the bullpen would be to go get a legitimate closer. While Ryan Pressly has been more effective of late, he’s still not someone who looks like the shutdown reliever you’d like to see in the ninth inning. Unfortunately, the closer who appears to be most likely available on the open market in July is already seeing a ton of interest.

As of now, the St. Louis Cardinals don’t look as though they’re contending for much of anything this year and according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, their closer, Ryan Helsley is already a rather hot commodity.

Cubs face stiff competition for a top bullpen trade target

According to Nightengale, two teams that the Cubs have already locked horns with this season, the Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks, are at least kicking the tires on the Cards' reliever, whose numbers are somewhat unimpressive if for no other reason than he hasn’t gotten many save opportunities. However, he’s coming off a great 2024 season, where he had a 2.04 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 66.1 innings. He was the National League reliever of the month three times (April, June, and September) and also made his second All-Star appearance.

Philadelphia is one of the only teams in baseball with a worse bullpen than the Cubs. The Diamondbacks are in the market for someone to man the ninth inning because their own closer, AJ Puk, is expected to be on the IL for quite some time. 

While it’s not great that two franchises the Cubs will be fighting against for a playoff spot could be interested in the same player Chicago wants, it’s not clear if the Cards would even do business with a division rival. One might even believe that St. Louis would offer him to almost any other team with a bit of a discount if for no other reason than to push against the Chicago Cubs.