Cubs Officially Have New Team to Target at Trade Deadline

The Chicago Cubs have been waiting to see what direction the Arizona Diamondbacks were going to take at the trade deadline and thanks to a three-game sweep at the hands of the Houston Astros they have their answer. The Diamondbacks, who were hanging around the .500 mark at the All-Star break, will indeed be sellers at the trade deadline.

Arizona has a handful of players that can make a huge difference for playoff contenders down the stretch and lucky enough for the Cubs that includes a pair of starting pitchers that could fit nicely in the rotation. Oh and also Eugenio Suarez, one of the hottest hitters in the game and the No. 1 trade target in baseball.

The Diamondbacks are now open for business, which wasn't a guarantee after they swept the St. Louis Cardinals coming out of the All-Star break. However, they've been trending toward selling for a while and the Cubs have been waiting to pounce on a few different targets.

Veteran starting pitcher Merrill Kelly seems like the safe arm for the Cubs to purse from Arizona based on his consistency. So far in 2025, Kelly has posted a 3.32 ERA in 21 starts with a solid 24.2 K% in 122 innings.

The 36-year-old has 12 quality starts and has really only been crushed once all year, which came back in his second start of the season on April 3, when the New York Yankees scored nine runs in 3.2 innings off Kelly. If you take that appearance out, then Kelly's numbers look elite, a 2.74 ERA in 118.1 innings.

Going back to the start of 2022, Kelly has recorded a 3.42 ERA in 97 starts. The right-hander also performed well in his one postseason run with the Diamondbacks, having a 2.25 ERA in four starts during the 2023 playoffs.

The other big name who the Cubs could add to the rotation from the Diamondbacks is Zac Gallen. The 29-year-old was an All-Star in 2023, slightly regressed in 2024, and has been struggling to find his groove this year. The right-handed pitcher has a 5.58 ERA in 21 starts in 2025 and the home runs are a concern. Gallen has given up 23 home runs in 121 innings, making his 1.7 HR/9 the highest mark of his career.

However, Gallen has a great track record, which is why he's still valued by many teams in trade market including the Cubs. From 2019-24, Gallen had a 3.29 ERA in 143 starts, while holding hitters to a .219 batting average and recording a great 26.6 K% in more than 800 innings of work.

Gallen has shown flashes of his greatness in 2025, but he simply hasn't been the lock-down starter that he turned into during his rise in Arizona. If the Cubs make a serious push for Gallen, then you trust they have a detailed plan to fix his issues.

As for Suarez the Cubs may not go overboard in putting all their chips for the third baseman, especially if the bidding war gets out of control. Matt Shaw has looked great since the All-Star break, which may have paused concern from the Cubs over their rookie third baseman who had a rough month prior to this hot streak.

Still, adding Suarez would give the Cubs a tremendous lineup and would provide another big bat to help take the pressure off guys who may go into cold spells in the final two months.

A few other names to keep an eye on are a pair of relievers who are currently on the injured list. Shelby Miller has been sidelined for a couple weeks with a forearm strain, so there's no guarantee he'll be healthy by the trade deadline. However, if he is, then Miller could be a nice addition to the Cubs' bullpen. Miller has a 1.98 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 36.1 innings this season.

Meanwhile, lefty Jalen Beeks is hoping to return soon after going down with lower back inflammation. The 32-year-old has a 4.39 ERA in 41 innings this year, but his peripherals look much better with a 3.70 FIP and 3.41 expected ERA. Beeks has a 22.9 K% and an impressive 51.8 ground ball rate in 2025. Plus, he shouldn't cost much in a trade if he's fully back from his injury.