AP Photo/Julio Cortez

The Rundown: Hoyer Exploring Pitching Market, Cubs Ranked Top MLB Team, CBA Talks Commence

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterMay 12, 2026

“I don’t mind stealin’ bread from the mouths of decadents.” — Hunger Strike by Temple of the Dogs

The Cubs’ offense has gone to sleep, but all the buzz surrounds finding a starter or two. I hate to be that guy, but what if Jed Hoyer rebuilds his rotation on the fly and those guys get injured, too? Hoyer and the Cubs have proven this year that teams can never have enough pitching.

Nothing is going to happen anytime soon, however, and this year’s August 3 deadline seems light years beyond the July 31 date most people correlate with the end of shopping season. Is it worth razing the farm system for a two-month rental that might get you a start or two in the postseason? Then again, when was the last time Hoyer got burned by trading his younger players and prospects?

  • Owen Caissie is hitting .154 with no home runs and six RBI since April 4. He’s slashing .198/.254/.317 with a .571 OPS, and he’s also sporting an alarmingly high strikeout rate of 41.2% through 114 plate appearances. Yes, Edward Cabrera has looked awfully beatable lately, but where would the Cubs be with Caissie in right field right now?
  • Cam Smith is slashing .229/.320/.353 with an OPS+ of 86 and 13 home runs in 174 MLB games. It’s fair to wonder if Scott Kingery has more pop in his bat than that. Hoyer held on to Matt Shaw in the Kyle Tucker trade, and Shaw’s been statistically better than Tucker this year.
  • Christopher Morel has posted two-plus seasons of negative WAR since the Cubs traded him to the Rays for Isaac Paredes.
  • Nelson Velázquez hasn’t played in the majors since 2024 and is currently one of the weaker hitters in the Cardinals’ farm system. He’s batting .188 for Triple-A Memphis this season with four home runs and 13 RBI. Who remembers the collective moan when that guy was traded?
  • The jury is still out on Jackson Ferris and Zyhir Hope, but the Cubs got Michael Busch in that deal. Busch is off to a slow start, but he’s also been a model of consistency up until this season and he’ll start posting his normal numbers soon.

Cubs fans do love their prospects, but it’s looking more and more like Hoyer prefers to hype them up and ship them out in favor of established veterans. I’m of the same mindset. I don’t care how many games South Bend wins or which Tennessee players get end-of-season accolades. I’m also not worried that Jaxon Wiggins might be the next Greg Maddux or that Kevin Alcántara could be the next Kris Bryant. The chances of either happening are astronomical.

As far as immediate help goes, Sadahev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic listed 10 pitchers the Cubs could target this summer ($), and Hoyer could conceivably trade for one or two of them. The cost to acquire each varies, and most will be attached to the local rumor mill all summer. Logan Webb is an intriguing option because he carries team control through the 2028 season. He’ll cost the Cubs Wiggins and two other prospects. Freddy Peralta is a mercenary who will be a free agent at season’s end. I like Hoyer’s chances of extending the ex-Brewer if he finishes the year here, however. Peralta should find his way to Wrigley Field next season either way, because he and the Cubs are a perfect fit.

The Mets, by the way, are expected to be the most active team at this year’s deadline. Peralta, Bo Bichette, and Clay Holmes are all but guaranteed to be traded. New York is 43-80 since starting the 2025 season with 45 wins in their first 69 games.

No matter the target, rest assured that Hoyer will serve himself well to wait. The Cubs can outslug their opponents all summer long and they’ll win a lot of games doing so. The need for pitching becomes more pronounced when we start talking about magic numbers, and of course, in the postseason. No need to overpay now, but just remember Chicago’s recent track record when you lament the next prospect to leave the organization. I’m not sure what Hoyer sees that other front offices don’t, but I’m glad he’s calling the shots here instead of elsewhere.

Cubs News & Notes

Ball Four

What the hell happened to Cal Raleigh?

Central Intelligence

How About That!

René Cárdenas, MLB’s first Spanish-speaking announcer, passed away at 96.

Closer Devin Williams is settling in after a rocky start with the Mets.

The Cardinals and Yankees are starting to show signs of regression.

MLB and the MLB Players Association are currently holding the first official collective-bargaining talks before the expiration of the CBA on December 1, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The opening presentations are basic overviews of each side’s position and set up the long bargaining road ahead.

General managers hope to convince MLB officials this winter to alter their restrictions on roster pitcher limits, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Such a ruling would also quiet the unrest by teams who believe the Dodgers have an inherent advantage having Shohei Ohtani as a two-way player. The current rules limit teams to 13 pitchers on their 26-man roster, but since Ohtani is a two-way player, he doesn’t count towards the roster limit, in essence giving Los Angeles 14 pitchers.

More from Nightengale’s article:

Executives are wary of a potential expansion because of the current pitching shortage. Teams are cancelling games in the Arizona Complex League because of the dearth of pitching.

A number of teams are kicking themselves for not pursuing starter Nick Martinez. He’s 3-1 with a 1.71 ERA for the Rays so far this season.

This is the 17th time in Yankees’ history they’ve won at least 25 of their first 36 games. They reached the postseason in every one of those seasons.

The Mets still have not won a single game when trailing after eight innings since the end of the 2024 season.

Dodger Blues

  1. The Giants scored eight times in the final four innings to beat the Dodgers 9-3 last night. That’s three straight losses for L.A. and 13 of 23.
  2. Ohtani has one home run in his last 106 plate appearances and he’s riding a frigid 4-for-37 (.108) streak at the plate.
  3. With first base open and two outs in a tie game, Giants manager Tony Vitello let Matt Gage pitch to Ohtani. He grounded out to end the inning.
  4.  Los Angeles has scored three runs or fewer in nine of their last 12 games.
  5. The Dodgers finalized a trade with the D-backs on Tuesday morning that sends speedy outfielder Alek Thomas to L.A. for 17-year-old outfield prospect Jose Requena.

A Hill to Die On

I was at the Brewers-Yankees game on Sunday, sitting right behind New York’s dugout. I heard Cody Bellinger say “I f**king hate this team,” right after Brice Turang walked it off for the Milwaukee sweep. Uniforms change, but enemies apparently do not.

Extra Innings

Get to know Chicago’s No. 5 prospect, Kane Kepley.

They Said It

  • “It’s a needed day off for sure, for everybody. So we’ll take advantage of it and get ready for Atlanta.” – Counsell

Tuesday Walk-Up Song

I’ll always regret passing on every opportunity to see Bob Seger live. Something always got in the way. Who is the artist or band you regret not seeing live?

The Eagles handled the backup vocals on this one in case you were unaware. Glenn Frey was a bona fide member of the Silver Bullet Band at the start of his career.

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterMay 12, 2026
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