One Cubs Trade Target Makes More Sense Than the Big Names

The Chicago Cubs have a 54-42 record at the break and sit second in the NL Central. That’s a real team. But if you’ve watched them at all this year, you know the rotation has been held together with athletic tape and good intentions.

Injuries have piled up. The front office needs to add a starter before the trade deadline. And while everyone wants to dream on Tarik Skubal—Detroit’s ace who will be a free agent this winter—that’s probably not happening.

Skubal would cost a haul. The Tigers are still in the race themselves. A trade like that takes two teams that align on value and timing, and those stars don’t usually line up for the Cubs this time of year.

Instead, the more realistic target is Freddy Peralta. Yes, the Mets right-hander who’s having a rough year.

Why Peralta Fits the Cubs

Peralta’s numbers this season are ugly. A 4.66 ERA across a league-leading 20 starts. His strikeout rate is down. Hitters are barreling him up more than they ever did in Milwaukee. That’s the bad news.

Here’s the other side: Peralta was a two-time All-Star with the Brewers. He posted ERAs in the twos or threes every season from 2021 through 2024. Last year he had a 2.70 ERA. That guy still exists somewhere in there.

The Mets and Cubs have already done business this season, swapping David Peterson in an earlier deal. That relationship might grease the wheels for a second trade. And Peralta’s price tag is lower now than it’s been in years. He’s a buy-low candidate if there ever was one.

The Cubs know Peralta’s track record. They know he’s capable of a second-half rebound. And with free agency looming for him after the season, the Mets don’t have a ton of incentive to hold on if they’re not going to extend him.

This isn’t a splashy move. Nobody is going to plaster Peralta on SportsCenter. But it’s the kind of trade that quietly fills a hole on a roster that’s already good enough to make some noise in October.

Look for the Cubs to pull the trigger on Peralta before the deadline passes. It’s not the big swing fans want. It might be the one that actually works.