Chicago Cubs rumors: Christopher Morel and the DH, trade talk, record oddities

By Kevin Henry | May 11, 2023

May 9, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs second baseman Christopher Morel (5) is greeted by shortstop Dansby Swanson (7) after hitting a home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the sixth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports /

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Chicago Cubs manager David Ross (left) and owner Tom Ricketts. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports /

Chicago Cubs rumors: Buyers at the trade deadline?

Of course, it’s still before Mother’s Day and the Cubs aren’t at .500 yet but, with the National League Central feeling very much up in the air, could the Cubs actually be buyers at the trade deadline?

In this article for The Athletic (subscription required), Jon Greenberg very much believes the Cubs need to, “step on the gas and take control of a very obtainable division.” He also adds, “The rebuild is over and it’s time to win.”

The offseason move for Cody Bellinger (currently slashing .288/.360/.530 with seven home runs and a strikeout percentage of 18.7 versus 27.3 last season) is looking like one of the best deals of 2023 so far and Dansby Swanson is looking every bit like the shortstop the Cubs hoped he would be. Chicago’s pitching has also been solid, registering 2.9 bWAR as a unit, the second-highest in all of baseball behind the Minnesota Twins.

A lot of things are going right for the Cubs right now, and things will need to continue going right for them and wrong for plenty of others in the division before any real talk of trades happens. Greenberg, however, is already looking ahead, saying this:

"“We’re about a month away from demanding that Cubs president Jed Hoyer start making moves to fortify this team for a pennant chase. Start scouting those closers and lefty relievers, armchair GMs. Can Hoyer find some power on the trade market?”"

Oh it could be a very interesting summer inside the Friendly Confines.

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