3 Cubs trade scenarios that make too much sense not to happen

If they continue losing, the Cubs need to get trade value for their core before it’s too late.

Should the Cubs reach a worst-case scenario and completely fall out of the playoff hunt, then it’s time to pull the plug and get a head start on a rebuild or retool for the future. It’ll be sad considering each of their core players had a key role in this Golden Era of Cubs baseball over the past seven seasons, but the team needs to do what’s best for the future.

That shouldn’t be an excuse for refusing to pay Rizzo, Bryant, Baez, and eventually Contreras the deals to keep them in town. If a smaller market team like the Padres can afford handing out max contracts, there’s no excuse for the Cubs and owner Tom Ricketts not to figure something out.

Still, there is a question as too who is worth keeping around. Bryant has shown a resurgence with an .875 OPS and 13 home runs through 67 games. Baez still brings plenty of power, a Gold Glove, and he’ll impact the games in a number of different ways. But at this point, you know what you get with his high-strikeout rate and low on-base percentage. Rizzo (31) has been the leader of this group, but on the other side of 30 you wonder how much he has left in the tank and at what cost.

It’s also important to consider how much of a chance this group will give you to win a title. With the proper reinforcements, they should be considered contenders. But then there’s a large risk of falling short and letting these players walk away for nothing in return (i.e. Kyle Schwarber, Addison Russell, etc.)

If they play their cards right, it’s also possible team president Jed Hoyer unloads these players for future assets, while also bringing them back with new contracts in the upcoming offseason. It’d be a slick move similar to what the Yankees did with Aroldis Chapman when he was traded to the Cubs in 2016, only to return to the Bronx on a new deal.

So will it be a matter of rolling the dice and surround this group with some new faces for potentially a final World Series run, or get an early reset for next season?

It’s been these questions asked for quite some time on the North Side of Chicago, and they’ll only continue as the deadline looms closer.