3 trade deadline moves that could save the Cubs season
As bad as things have been for the Cubs, it might make more sense to remain buyers at the upcoming trade deadline.
It’s been a rough go as of late for the Cubs, and that might be putting it lightly. Chicago has lost 12 of their last 14 matchups and they’ve fallen six games out of first place in the NL Central. They’ve suffered multiple injuries to key players, and their latest defeat was arguably their most disappointing of the season thus far.
Looking to end a five-game skid, the Cubs poured on seven runs in the first inning of Wednesday’s finale against the division-leading Brewers. It looked like a cakewalk, and a statement type of game to end put an end to their woes. Instead, Milwaukee scored 15 unanswered runs to finish off a sweep. The Cubs became just the second team in the modern era to lose a game following a seven-run first inning.
Maybe it’s rock bottom, but even with all of the struggles the Cubs remain above water with a 42-39 record. Plenty of fans are calling for a selloff at the deadline, especially given the impending free agency for Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, and Kris Bryant. But how much is the team going to get for those former All-Stars given their poor play of late? It’s a pennies on the dollar scenario.
If that’s the case and there’s little to no value for a return on those assets, they might as well roll the dice at one last run for a World Series, and the best way to do that is revamp this roster with key pieces by the July 30 trade deadline.
3) Starling Marte would give the Cubs offense some much-needed life
The Cubs have received inconsistent offensive production among their outfielders all season. Joc Pederson has been streaky, while Ian Happ and Jason Heyward have batting averages well below their body weights.
Oddly enough, the team could have brought Kyle Schwarber back this season and received plenty of value in flipping him at the deadline but they decided to pay more for Pederson. Former Cub Nick Castellanos is also tearing it up as MLB’s total hits and doubles leader. Neither will be coming back to Chicago any time soon, but one outfielder who could inject life into this dead offense is Starling Marte.
The Marlins sit 11 games below .500 and have already began selling off a few pieces. Marte and his .302/.404/.472 slash line will be among the most sought after players at the deadline. He strikes out just 19.2 percent of the time, and draws a healthy amount of walks (12.8%).
It’s exactly the kind of player the Cubs have lacked for a long time, and similar to the Castellanos addition in 2019, he could be the much-needed spark for Chicago.