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Sonny Gray #54 of the Boston Red Sox throws a pitch against the Cincinnati Reds during the game at Great American Ball Park on March 28, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

The Chicago Cubs find themselves in a tough position early on in the 2026 MLB season. Due to multiple different key injuries, the team could badly use more help on the pitching front.

Most recently, the Cubs saw Matthew Boyd go down with a knee injury while he was playing with his kids at home. That news alone showed how the season has trended for the team. However, he is far from the only injury to note.

Earlier this season, Chicago saw Cade Horton go down for the season due to an elbow injury. They have also dealt with injuries to Justin Steele, Jordan Wicks, Hunter Harvey, Riley Martin, Caleb Thielbar, and more.

With that being said, trade rumors have already started surrounding the Cubs. Adding another starting pitcher has become a early-season priority for Jed Hoyer and the Chicago front office.

A trade suggestion between the Cubs and Boston Red Sox has been offered.

Red Sox Starting Pitcher Named as Possible Target for Chicago Cubs

The Athletic has come up with a list of pitchers Chicago could target via trade. One of those pitchers was Red Sox star Sonny Gray.

“The Red Sox are off to a terrible start and could use a reset. Gray is an obvious candidate to be moved as a pending free agent. But would Boston’s chief baseball officer, Craig Breslow, make a challenge trade involving a young starter such as Payton Tolle or Connelly Early?” they wrote.

“This past offseason, the Red Sox were eyeing both Nico Hoerner (who is no longer available) and Matt Shaw. Maybe a top prospect such as Kevin Alcántara would be enticing? The Cubs could improve this year’s club while also building out their rotation for the future.”

Gray, who’s on a 3-year, $75 million contract with Boston, may not be a superstar name, but he’s a quality starting pitcher. Adding him would be a nice step in the right direction for the Cubs’ rotation.

What Would Sonny Gray Bring to the Cubs’ Rotation?

So far this season with Boston, the 36-year-old starter has made six starts. He has compiled a 3-1 record to go along with a 3.54 ERA, a 1.29 WHIP, a 2.1 K/BB ratio, and 28 innings pitched.

Throughout his entire career since entering Major League Baseball back in 2013 with the Oakland Athletics, Gray has played for six different teams. He has made 346 career appearances and 336 starts, while going 128-103 with a 3.58 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP, a 3.1 K/BB ratio, and 1,946 innings of work completed.

He wouldn’t be the piece that powers Chicago on a World Series run, but he could be a solid contributor.

Only time will tell what the Cubs choose to do to address their pitching needs. There are plenty of potential targets, with Gray being just one of them.