3 More Bounce-Back Trade Targets for the Cubs After the David Peterson Trade

The Cubs' pitching depth hasn't been tested or challenged as much as it's been absolutely decimated by injuries this season. When the team lost both Edward Cabrera on Tuesday night to a hamstring injury, only for Ben Brown to suffer a neck injury the following Wednesday morning, it was hard to do anything but laugh.

This also came on the heels of Jed Hoyer announcing Justin Steele likely wouldn't be an option for the rotation this season. Throw in the current injuries to Cade Horton and Jameson Taillon, and it just felt too ridiculous to be possible.

However, that is the Cubs current reality. They are seven games back of 1st place in the division and tied with the Cardinals for second, as well as the final Wild Card spot. Shota Imanaga, Colin Rea, and Javier Assad are the only active pitchers on the Cubs roster who have made multiple starts this season.

Jed Hoyer and the Cubs have made some moves to immediately address the Cubs' rotation, trading for LHP David Peterson from the Mets last night and reportedly signing former Cub and veteran LHP Drew Pomeranz to a minor-league deal this morning. Pomeranz will likely be a bullpen option, but Peterson will be relied on to eat innings as a starter, as the Cubs get desperate trying to field a 5-man rotation.

But pitchers like Peterson, who have underlying stats to suggest playing in front of a highly-rated defense like the Cubs offer, may be the type of player to target in the short term. So, I dug through the bottom of the pitching barrel and found three more names I believe could fit into a similar mold as Peterson.

Clay Holmes - RHP (33 years old), $12 mil player-option in '27

May 15, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets pitcher Clay Holmes (35) delivers a pitch during the third inning against the New York Yankees at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Holmes has been excellent this year when healthy, throwing a 2.39 ERA and an impressive 56% ground ball rate in 52.2 IP. But the veteran righty is currently on the 60-day IL with a fractured fibula. Ideally, Holmes should start throwing in late July and hopefully be ready sometime in August, but he could be a huge addition to a rotation in the second half.

Of course, the Cubs did just make a deal with the Mets to acquire David Peterson, so there's some familiarity between the two clubs and their farm systems. There is little doubt that Holmes' name at least got mentioned during Jed Hoyer's conversations with David Sterns and New York this week. Holmes will be a name to watch as he nears a return to the mound and proves he's healthy and still effective.

With that said, a fractured fibula obviously isn't ideal, and when Holmes did initially get hurt back on May 15th, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said he'd be "down for a long time." So it's still a risk the Cubs would be taking to hope another injured arm can remain healthy and effective later this year.

Walker Buehler - RHP (31 years old), Free Agent

Jun 14, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Walker Buehler (10) pitches in the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images | Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

The 31-year-old Walker Buehler has been quietly on a heater for the Padres. One the season, he's lowered his ERA to 3.96 with a 49.3 % ground-ball rate. But in his last five starts, he's got a 2.05 ERA and generated 42 ground balls with 24 strikeouts. Buehler hasn't allowed more than 2 runs in each of those five starts, as well.

Buehler's 3.28 FIP is encouraging, and putting him in front of the Cubs' defense could help him pitch even more efficiently than he has as of late. Not to mention, it's nice to see that Buehler has finally managed to stay healthy after multiple Tommy John surgeries to his right elbow had stunted his promising career with the Dodgers.

Buehler has managed to throw 126 innings for Boston and Philadelphia last season – the most he's thrown since 2021, when he was an All-Star and Cy Young candidate. He's currently got 72.2 innings under his belt this year and is in the midst of a career resurgence. However, the Padres are only a game behind the Cubs in the Wild Card standings, despite being nine games back of the Dodgers in the NL West.

The Cubs will have to hope the Padres start to fall in the Wild Card standings if they want a real shot at acquiring Walker, which feels unlikely at this point. But Buehler is a good name to pay attention to as we near the trade deadline.

Stephen Kolek - RHP (29 years old) , Pre-Arbitration

Jun 14, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals pitcher Stephen Kolek (32) reacts after a defensive stop during the first inning against the Houston Astros at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Royals right-hander had a solid 2025 season with a 3.51 ERA and 51.4% ground-ball rate, splitting time between San Diego and Kansas City with 112.2 innings. This year, Kolek was having another solid season through his first eight starts with a 2.68 ERA, but a 9-run outing vs the Cardinals saw his ERA balloon to 4.15.

Kolek's ground-ball rate has dropped to 46.1% this year, and he's allowed 8 home runs in just nine starts, as teams are elevating his pitches more this season. Kolek isn't a swing-and-miss bat, but he doesn't issue many walks and typically finds a way to give the Royals 5+ innings each outing.

Kolek also has solid stuff for a low-strikeout pitcher (5.88 K/9). He uses a hard slider that, when setup right, generates a 42.7% whiff rate. The 29-year-old spent seven years in the minors before making his debut with the Padres in 2024, making him still arbitration eligible and under team control for the next two seasons.

He could end up being an arm the Royals want to hang on to, but with his age and the Royals unexpected free-fall this season, they could part with Kolek in a weaker deadline year for starting pitching.

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