Cubs Uncertain Trade Deadline Strategy Amid Midseason Struggles
Despite a series win against the San Francisco Giants to start the week, the Chicago Cubs season has taken a turn for the worst. The series win against the Giants was the first time the Cubs won at least 3 games since mid-May. The team has plummeted from a comfortable lead as second in the NL Central to being lock-jawed with the three other teams besides the Milwaukee Brewers.
What’s most frustrating about this Cubs team through the first three months of the season is that it is filled with a significant number of underperformances and missed opportunities. Throughout the winter, Jed Hoyer and company had the chance to bolster their roster and build one that was clearly better than the rest of the National League Central. It was also an off-season where it felt like the rest of the NL Central seemingly took a step back.
What began as a promising season, the Cubs are putting themselves in a similar position as they were a year ago. The team doesn’t seem to have an identity right now, and no one can really tell if the team will be buyers or sellers at the July trade deadline.
The Cubs are currently eight games out of first place in the division. Looking at the past month of play, this team’s inconsistencies make a division title seemingly out of reach. However, the Cubs are only one game out of a Wild Card spot, with the rest of the National League continuing to struggle.
The Cubs have critical decisions to make before July, and if they don’t start to play better baseball, their answers to potential moves to make might be solved.
On the latest episode of the “Fair Territory Podcast,” MLB insider Ken Rosenthal mentioned the potential idea of the Cubs not being willing to buy during this summer’s trade deadline.
“They thought they’d be buyers in the NL Central, they thought they’d be a prominent team in the NL Central, and right now they are not”
Ken Rosenthal
Right now, it is a cat-and-mouse game to determine whether the Cubs are willing to make significant moves to improve this roster. Most fans seem to be pondering whether it is worth it to blow up the farm system. Would we feel comfortable trading top prospects for the Cubs to miss the postseason?
Nonetheless, fans are upset, and they have every right to be that way. Jed Hoyer had every opportunity to improve this roster throughout the winter but basically brought the same roster as a year ago. This is a team that most fans and experts predicted to be atop the NL Central, but have ultimately been a shell of themselves.
It was nice to see the team take a positive step forward in the three-game set against the Giants. Although all the games were close, the offense looked the best it had for the first time in nearly a month, and the starting pitching was as good as it had been all season.
As the season continues, the Cubs will have important decisions to make. The team will have to make significant improvements on the field for it to even feel worth making moves at the trade deadline. All Cubs fans really want is a sign of commitment to making the team better and a commitment to returning to the postseason.