Interesting Trade Idea Sees Cubs Sending Young Pitcher to Phillies

Would the Chicago Cubs help out their National League foe?

Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs went into the offseason looking to build up their pitching staff to avoid the catastrophe of injuries they dealt with last year, which largely derailed things down the stretch and in the playoffs.

That is exactly what Jed Hoyer has done this offseason, retaining guys and bringing in new faces while also getting others back from injury to establish a much deeper rotation.

As a result, though, there cannot be room for everyone, and some names will be relegated to the bullpen, the minor leagues, or traded entirely.

If the Cubs do have a move or two left in them, there's one name who could make a whole lot of sense as someone on their way out. In a recent deep dive into the Philadelphia Phillies, it was suggested by Nick Deeds of MLB Trade Rumors that Chicago right-hander Javier Assad could be a name who makes sense.

Cubs Could move on from Javier Assad

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Javier Assad | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

"Looking around the league, there’s certainly a handful of teams with an excess of optionable starters who could fit the Phillies needs," Deeds wrote. "The Cubs (Javier Assad), Dodgers (Landon Knack), Tigers (Keider Montero) and Giants (Hayden Birdsong) are among the teams with optionable starters who have notable big league experience but are likely to be squeezed out of the club’s rotation entering the year."

Between Cade Horton, Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, Matthew Boyd, Edward Cabrera and even Colin Rea, Chicago just does not have rotation spots to spare right now, with depth even behind the top-six looking strong.

Assad's tenure with the Cubs ending in a trade would be a little bit disappointing after he looked so promising back in 2024, but if Chicago is not going to use him as a starter and a team like Philadelphia is willing to pay up, a trade could make a whole lot of sense.

Assad once showed tremendous potential for Cubs

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Javier Assad | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

In his first full-time season as a starting pitcher back in 2024, Assad was very impressive with a 3.73 ERA and a record of 7-6 over 147 innings pitched. Unfortunately, he just was not able to stay on the field to keep building on it after an oblique injury cost him most of his 2025 campaign.

The numbers were solid when he did pitch, with a 3.65 ERA and 1.216 WHIP as well as the lowest walk rate of his career, potentially raising his value in a trade. Injury concerns likely cap a potential return, but if Chicago could grab a couple of mid-level prospects, a deal would be worth it.

As spring training continues, keep an ear out for potential trade rumors surrounding Assad and pitching-needy teams.