The Kansas City Royals will almost certainly trade their ace, but which teams around the league could be the best fits for the star?

The Chicago Cubs—who spent most of the 2025 season’s first half atop the NL Central—have gone 5-5 in their last ten games, allowing the Milwaukee Brewers to climb into first place, while sending North Side fans into their traditional mid-summer tizzy. And pitching is the main culprit.

When later speaking about the injury to Pete Crow-Armstrong, The Athletic reported that the Cubs are already exploring the market for potential upgrades. While there’s no way to replace him given his play throughout the year, they could be interested in an insurance policy to ensure his health moving forward.

The Chicago Cubs appear to be doing just that: According to ESPN's Buster Olney, Jed Hoyer and Co. "could have interest" in the Colorado Rockies third baseman, with an eye toward pairing him with the righty-hitting Matt Shaw to form a platoon that winds up being greater than the sum of its parts.

With the top spot in the NL Central lost to the Brewers, the trade deadline has become even more important to the Chicago Cubs. And wasting their one year of Kyle Tucker is not an option.

Hoyer came to the Cubs as the general manager under president of baseball operations Theo Epstein after the 2011 season. In 2020, he became the new head honcho when Epstein resigned, taking on a five-year contract that is now set to expire after the season.

The Chicago Cubs are no longer leading the NL Central. For the first time since April 2, they are not in first place of their division. That has to feel like a

The Mets are willing to trade from a young infield group that includes Luisangel Acuña, Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, and Mark Vientos, according to The Athletic. With Francisco Li