Cubs Acquire Willi Castro and Taylor Rogers; White Sox Swap Adrian Houser

July 31, 2025 / 6:13 PM CDT / CBS Sports

The Major League Baseball trade deadline passed at 5 p.m. on Thursday.

The Cubs aimed to acquire a top starting pitcher but were unsuccessful. Instead, they focused on adding depth by trading for utility man Willi Castro from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for minor-league prospects.

Castro, who is an impending free agent, has had a strong season at the plate with 10 home runs and 32 RBIs.

In addition to Castro, the Cubs also finalized a deal for left-handed reliever Taylor Rogers. Rogers, aged 34, was traded to the Cubs from the Pittsburgh Pirates, having been previously traded from the Cincinnati Reds earlier in the week.

The Pirates received High-A outfielder Ivan Brethowr in return for Rogers, as reported by The Athletic.

The Cubs further bolstered their pitching staff by acquiring right-handed pitchers Michael Soroka from the Washington Nationals and Andrew Kittredge from the Baltimore Orioles. Kittredge, a former All-Star, has a 3.45 ERA in 31 games this season, while Soroka, who will turn 28 next week, started 16 games for the Nationals this season.

The White Sox made a move by trading Adrian Houser to the Tampa Bay Rays. Houser, who signed with the Sox in May, has had a strong debut season with a 198 ERA+ in 11 starts. In return, the Sox received first baseman Curtis Mead from the Rays along with pitching prospects Duncan Davitt and Benjamin Peoples.

Despite speculation, outfielder Luis Robert Jr. will remain with the White Sox. General Manager Chris Getz decided against making a deal for the centerfielder, who has been in good form recently.

Jori Parys, who joined the CBS 2 News Chicago sports team in October 2022, expressed her excitement at covering her hometown teams.