With the All-Star Game now in the rearview mirror, Jed Hoyer and his front office will be busy searching for ways to get this Chicago Cubs roster to a place where they can win a World Series championship.
He’s already given a hint about what positions he’s targeting — bullpen and the starting rotation — and it would be wise to take his word for it considering there are clear needs in both those areas.
When it comes to adding a starter, it’s unclear which direction they might take.
The Cubs are reportedly interested in making long-term trade additions while searching for the traditional rental deals that contenders routinely seek out for the second half of the year.
It makes sense for Chicago to go after a starting pitcher with club control, giving them another high-end ace to pair with Shota Imanaga this season while also protecting themselves with Justin Steele potentially missing the entire 2026 campaign.
With that in mind, the Cubs should go after Taj Bradley of the Tampa Bay Rays.
Once seen as an untouchable pitching prospect, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported the Rays “are open for business” and “are listening to offers” when it comes to the right-hander.
Adding Bradley to the mix would be complete game-changer for Chicago.
While his surface statistics this season — 4.60 ERA in 19 starts — and for his career — 4.70 ERA and an ERA+ of 86 across 67 outings and 346 1/3 innings pitched — don’t necessarily suggest he’s an ace-caliber arm like he was billed to be coming up the pipeline, that is a risk the Cubs should take.
Bradley’s underlying metrics are much better, with his xERA being at 3.60 this year and his Stuff+ rating being above the league average for his career.
Those two things suggest there is more meat on the bone when it comes to getting the most out of the young pitcher going forward, especially because he’s still just 24 years old.
Acquiring him wouldn’t come cheap since he still hasn’t reached arbitration yet, but using prospect capital to clear out the logjam they have on their farm to add someone who could be a difference maker for them this season and into the future should be something the Cubs consider.
A rotation with Imanaga, Bradley, Matthew Boyd and Jameson Taillon when he comes back from injury gives them a much better shot of advancing deep into October this year than what they currently have.
And when projecting going forward, having Bradley to pair with Imanaga, Steele, Cade Horton and perhaps recently-touted top 100 prospect Jaxon Wiggins is formidable on paper.
If Chicago wants to make a splash, Bradley is their guy.