3 cheap trades Cubs can make to win the deadline

If the Cubs aren’t looking to risk their entire future at the trade deadline, there are some piece they can acquire at a cheap price.

After dropping the first of three games in Milwaukee on Monday, once again questions have begun to surround the Chicago Cubs and whether or not they should buy or sell at the trade deadline.

Chicago currently sits four games back of the first-place Brewers, and the Cubs are 4.5 games behind a Wild Card spot. With an underperforming group of core players in Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Anthony Rizzo, Chicago is stuck between a rock and a hard place in the upcoming weeks.

All three are set to become free agents in the offseason, and not far behind is Willson Contreras, who will hit the market following the 2022 season.

Blow it up now, or roll the dice on potentially one last shot with this group from the Golden Era of Cubs baseball? Their struggling offense needs some new life injected into it. A spark plug outfielder like Starling Marte comes to mind, but the poor performances from the rotation have also held this team back.

Obviously acquiring a pitcher like Max Scherzer would drastically improve the Cubs’ contending odds. But depending on how much of his complicated contract they’d take on, it’d likely mean parting ways with some important future pieces. Up to this point, owner Tom Ricketts has provided little to no confidence in reassuring Chicago will do whatever it takes to win.

Instead, expect the Cubs to hold onto their wallets at the deadline and make the cheapest moves possible to still remain “competitive” so the front office and ownership can say, “Well, at least we tried.”

3. The Cubs would not have to give up much to acquire Merrill Kelly

The first name on the list of decent additions the Cubs can add is Arizona Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly. The 32-year-old righty has been in the majors just three seasons and has combined for a 4.32 ERA and 1.275 WHIP in 306 innings pitched.

Like most of his Arizona teammates, Merrill has struggled this season with a 4.73 ERA and a 1.272 WHIP in 91.1 innings over his 16 starts. He’s not a hard thrower, but he limits opponents to soft contact (89.6 average exit velocity). On paper this doesn’t exactly scream like a move to put the Cubs over the top.

At his age and contract, which includes three more seasons of team control, it could be enough to make the Cubs think he can have a resurgence at the deadline. It wouldn’t be much worse than trotting out a struggling Jake Arrieta or Trevor Williams, but it is far from the only move they need to make if they plan on contending.