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There are still expectations from around Major League Baseball that the Chicago Cubs will be buyers at the trade deadline. At the moment, the North Siders are eight games out of first place in the National League Central. They are, however, just one game out of a wild card spot.

Assuming the Cubs can stay afloat in the coming weeks, they will look to acquire a starting pitcher. Recent reports have surfaced that Chicago could offload outfielder Seiya Suzuki to land a new starter. The Seattle Mariners are one of several teams that could become a good trade partner with the Cubs. The Philadelphia Phillies have also been linked with the Japanese star.

Nevertheless, MLB insider Jon Heyman has poured cold water on a potential trade idea between Chicago and Philadelphia. Heyman specifically claimed that a deal involving Suzuki now appears to be “unlikely.” The insider made the comment on a June 17 appearance on Chicago radio’s 104.3 The Score.

Heyman, however, does believe Chicago will look to trade away “prospects, kids” in order to grab starting pitching. More specifically, the insider specifically named Kevin Alcantara as trade bait for the Cubs. “Alcantara, I think he’s going to get traded this time,” continued Heyman. “We’ve been talking about it for years. I think he’ll get traded. I’m not really seeing that matchup with the Phillies as especially likely, [though].”

Chicago Cubs Finally Expected to Trade Former #2 Prospect, Kevin Alcantara

GettyKevin Alcantara was recently demoted back to AAA by the Chicago Cubs.

Alcantara was previously the number two prospect in the Chicago Cubs farm system in 2023. He has since dropped down to sixth in the team’s rankings, but is still putting up impressive statistics in the minors. In fact, the outfielder has 16 home runs in just 47 games with AAA Iowa this season. Only three other International League hitters have more homers, and they all have significantly more at-bats.

The Cubs have given Alcantara small cameos in the big leagues over the last few seasons. The slugger has, however, found limited success. After hitting .364 in 10 games with Chicago in 2025, he has most recently only grabbed one hit in nine at-bats during the current campaign. Teams interested in acquiring Alcantara likely want to give the budding star more playing time to showcase his abilities.

Chicago May Not Be in Skubal, Peralta Sweepstakes

Heyman specifically named superstar pitchers Tarik Skubal and Freddy Peralta as potential targets by the Cubs. The duo is widely viewed as the top two potentially available pitchers in the trade market. Chicago’s president of baseball operations, Jed Hoyer, has admitted that he will not target high-priced rentals, though. Both Skubal and Peralta will be free agents after the 2026 season.

The Chicago Cubs will likely have to give up more than Alcantara alone for a star pitcher. However, as Heyman points out, they are likely to stick to offloading prospects rather than established MLB stars. Whoever the Cubs ultimately target, they clearly need help on the mound. Chicago’s rotation currently has a combined 4.73 ERA in 2026. Only three other teams in the entire league have a lower figure at the moment.