Rumored Cubs trade deadline target goes down with devastating injury

The Chicago Cubs are already scouring any and all avenues to upgrade the pitching staff, namely the starting rotation, but the higher-profile acquisitions will likely come closer to that July 31 date. The big name that continues to be thrown about is Miami Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara, but the Minnesota Twins' Pablo Lopez made sense for a team like the Cubs, too.

That is, until this week, when the veteran right-hander left his start against the Athletics and was placed on the injured list with a Grade 2 strain of the teres major in his pitching shoulder, an injury that is expected to sideline him for eight to 12 weeks, putting his return well past the trade deadline and ending any hopes of the Twins shopping him.

Pablo Lopez looked like a perfect trade target for the Chicago Cubs

Lopez, 29, checked a lot of boxes in terms of what the Cubs are reportedly looking for: a top-of-the-rotation arm, likely with multiple years of team control remaining. The former All-Star has been a workhorse in Minnesota and Miami in recent years, tossing 180+ frames in each of the last three seasons, and is under control through 2027 at $21.75 million per year.

Through his first 11 starts this year, Lopez was off to a tremendous start - both in terms of his baseball card numbers and his Statcast data. He carried a 2.82 ERA/2.98 FIP and 1.071 WHIP across 60 2/3 innings of work and ranked near the top of the league limiting hard-hit balls and inducing chase from opposing hitters.

Now, with him set to miss the majority of the remainder of the 2025 season, Jed Hoyer will have to find rotation help elsewhere. Whether or not Minnesota ends up selling at the deadline is yet to be determined, but there are some other options there that could intrigue the Cubs. Other teams that look like clear-cut sellers are the Marlins, Rockies and White Sox - with teams like the A's, Orioles and Pirates all looking like they could be moving off pieces, as well.

With a top-heavy farm system headlined by the likes of Kevin Alcantara, Owen Caissie, James Triantos and Moises Ballesteros, the Cubs figure to be among the clubs looking to swing major moves (s) between now and the end of July. At the top of that list? Starting rotation reinforcements - and we're not talking about reclamation projects, either.