Cubs Were Reportedly So Interested in Jose Soriano They Called the Blue Jays

The Chicago Cubs were working hard to land a cost-controlled starter, which has to make you wonder if they will look for another big trade this offseason.

Aug 7, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Jose Soriano (40) throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the third inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Chicago Cubs shot off more trade deadline fireworks than virtually anyone.

With a significant need for more reliable arms, the organization acquired four new pitchers. This included starters Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes, and Braxton Garrett. They also added Ryan Zeferjahn to the bullpen, while acquiring outfielder Tyrone Taylor in the Holmes trade. A week removed from the big day, Garrett is the only one who has yet to appear in a game, as the Cubs now look like an even more formidable postseason threat.

Nevertheless, rumors continue to leak out from the hectic deadline, and one of the latest says the Cubs attempted to pull off a true stunner.

The Athletic's Mitch Bannon and Dan Hayes reported that the Cubs did attempt to make José Soriano one of their trade deadline acquisitions. But not in a deal with the Los Angeles Angels!

Cubs Tried to Make a Second Trade with Blue Jays?

Aug 7, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Jose Soriano (40) throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the fourth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Toronto Blue Jays surprised many when they acquired one of the most popular starting pitchers on the market in José Soriano. They had just traded away veteran arm Kevin Gausman to the Chicago Cubs and were several games out of the postseason picture. Why target Soriano when the playoffs weren't the priority?

At the same time, the Blue Jays are only a year removed from a World Series trip. They likely have their sights set high for 2027 and beyond, and Soriano will be under team control until 2029. In other words, this was still an investment in the future.

The Cubs reportedly tried to get them to go back on that investment, however. The Athletic reports that they called the Blue Jays in hopes of getting a deal done. Toronto listened to Chicago's offers but never planned to move on from Soriano again, per Bannon and Hayes. Regardless, the Cubs' mere attempt to pull off the deal speaks to just how eager they actually were to get their hands on the 27-year-old.

It's interesting when we consider that Reid Detmers was the Angels arm the Cubs were far more connected to in the lead-up to the trade deadline. Did they always like Soriano more? Did they simply see an easier path toward a deal with the Blue Jays? If one thing is for sure, they likely had a pretty good idea of what Toronto wanted, as they were fresh off striking a deal for Gausman.

What we don't know is whether this would have been in addition to the Cubs landing Clay Holmes from the New York Mets for No. 2 prospect Jefferson Rojas. This would have meant adding THREE starting pitchers to the rotation at mid-season, which admittedly feels way too good to be true.

Indeed, it's far more likely the Cubs pivoted to Holmes after the Blue Jays were officially out on flipping Soriano. The deal with New York came across the wire only a little over an hour before the 5:00 p.m. CT deadline hit, after all.

Regardless, it does make you wonder if the Cubs will be back in the market for one of these cost-controlled starters very soon. They were rumored to be heavily eyeing one before settling on two rentals. George Kirby and Emerson Hancock are two names from the Mariners who were never moved. Detmers is obviously still with the rebuilding Angels. It was only last winter that the Cubs went out and got their hands on Edward Cabrera, so should we be prepared for them to take a similar approach in the coming months?

It's hard to imagine the Cubs changing their all-in mindset ahead of 2027. They have only been pushing more chips the last couple of years and continue to have a squad that is built to contend now. With that in mind, if it's one of those cost-controlled starters they want, they might as well go and get one when the market opens back up.

If anything, this is when the lockout might actually work in the Cubs' favor! The idea of a mostly wasted year could make teams far more willing to talk. It's likely why a lot of them were on the market earlier this month. Plus, to Chicago's credit, they happened to keep many of their top prospects despite the busy deadline. Will it be the best asset pool? Not necessarily, but it gives them enough to work with if they want to stay aggressive.

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