The Chicago Cubs entered 2026 thinking they had a bullpen that could hold up in October. Daniel Palencia was the anchor. The rotation was solid. The lineup could mash. Then the injuries started piling up and now the back end of that bullpen is basically a nightly question mark.
Palencia landed on the 15-day IL with a right flexor strain. Phil Maton has been struggling and he’s also hurt. Hunter Harvey is on the 60-day IL with no real return date in sight. Shelby Miller is done for the year. The Cubs have been plugging holes with Jacob Webb, Ryan Rolison, and Trent Thornton, which is fine for a Tuesday in June but not exactly what you want when you’re trying to make a playoff run.
Jed Hoyer pretty much admitted it publicly. He said an impact arm or two would go a long way before the August 3 deadline. And right now the most interesting call he could make is to San Diego.
The Padres have fallen apart. They went from Wild Card favorites to 46-48 and everyone around the league knows what that means. A.J. Preller might have to trade Mason Miller to restock a farm system that got gutted by last year’s big move. Miller is under club control through 2029 and his salary trajectory looks a lot like Josh Hader’s did. That makes him one of the most valuable trade chips in baseball.
The Cubs have seen Miller up close in the postseason. They know exactly what they’d be getting.
The Offer That Makes Sense
Here is what Hoyer should be putting on the table right now.
San Diego gets James Triantos, a 23-year-old who can play second base, third base, left field, and center field. He was a second-round pick in 2021 and he’s hitting .282/.341/.405 in the minors. Earlier this season he hit three homers and nearly cycled in one game at Triple-A Iowa. He has elite bat-to-ball skills and 30-plus steal speed. He’s the kind of versatile everyday player the Padres could plug into their lineup while they reset the roster.
Also going to San Diego is Luis Martinez-Gomez, a 23-year-old righty from Pomona, California. He pitched at High-A South Bend last season and put up a 1.46 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 55.1 innings. His fastball is plus and his sweeper is developing. He looks like a future high-leverage reliever who could debut in 2027. The Cubs would be giving the Padres a cost-controlled bullpen piece with real upside.
In return, the Cubs get Mason Miller. He’s 23-for-23 in save chances this season with a 0.96 ERA. He has 59 strikeouts and 12 walks in 37.1 innings. He is the best closer in baseball and he’s under team control through 2029.
What This Really Means
Adding Miller transforms the Cubs from a team scrambling for late-inning answers into a legitimate NL contender. They already have the pitching depth and the offense to beat anybody. The only thing standing between them and a deep October run is the reliability of the final three outs.
Triantos is a real prospect and Martinez-Gomez has upside. But neither is irreplaceable when you’re talking about three-plus years of the most dominant closer in the sport. The Cubs have the system depth. They have the competitive window. They have the need. Hoyer should make the call before somebody else beats him to it.
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