It might be hard to believe since the Milwaukee Brewers lead the NL Central by 9.0 games, but the Chicago Cubs have led this division for most of the season. Yes, the Brewers have won seemingly every day, but the Cubs have not helped themselves out much at all. They just lost 3-2 in extra innings to the 52-71 Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday afternoon, dropping their seventh game in their last 10.
Yes, a large portion of the blame has to be placed on guys like Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong who have been mired in prolonged slumps, but it's hard to shake the feeling that Jed Hoyer could've and should've done more at the trade deadline. Despite having several intriguing prospects and clear holes on their roster, the Cubs shied away from making any deadline splashes. Sure, Mike Soroka isn't the worst No. 5 starter, Willi Castro is a solid utility player and Taylor Rogers is a decent left-handed reliever, but the Cubs couldn't have done more?
I can somewhat excuse Hoyer for not going after Eugenio Suarez given Matt Shaw's hot streak and the acquisition of Castro as a potential insurance option, but not landing a high-end starter and/or a more impactful reliever is inexcusable. I get that no high-end starters of note got moved, but the Cubs had pieces to offer to get a deal done. They chose not to act aggressively, and are paying the price.
Hoyer left a lot to be desired at the deadline, which especially stings in what could be Tucker's only season in Chicago, but he wasn't the only executive to fall short.
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3) David Stearns, New York Mets
I'm not going to blame David Stearns for Ryan Helsley being ineffective thus far in a New York Mets uniform. It made total sense to acquire him, and who knows, he might be able to turn it around. I am going to blame Stearns for settling on Cedric Mullins in center field and not adding a single starting pitcher.
I get it - the Chicago White Sox clearly had a ridiculous asking price for Luis Robert Jr., judging by the fact that he wasn't moved. Still, while Robert hasn't exactly lit the world on fire since the deadline, he's performed better than Mullins, who has hit .171 with a .585 OPS in Queens, and this goes without mentioning he's a better fit as a right-handed hitter and has far more upside.
I also get that none of the high-end aces were traded at the deadline, but what was stopping the Mets from getting a guy like Merrill Kelly? That might not be a splashy move, but the Mets haven't gotten a six-inning start from a pitcher not named David Peterson in over two months. Kelly has done so six times in 11 starts since a non-Peterson pitcher completed six frames, and just did so against a formidable Diamondbacks offense his last time out. He might not have ace upside, but he would've given New York much-needed stability in a faltering rotation. A strong showing from prospect Nolan McLean would go a long way when it comes to forgiving Stearns, but McLean, set to make his MLB debut on Saturday, is obviously far from proven at this level.
Again, the bullpen, which looks great on paper, imploding lately isn't Stearns' fault. His inability to add an upgrade in center field or in the rotation is, and those failures could play a role in the team missing out on the playoffs.
2) Andrew Friedman, Los Angeles Dodgers
In addition to their supremely talented big league roster, the Los Angeles Dodgers might have the best farm system in the game. Yet, the only notable additions the Dodgers made came by way of Brock Stewart and Alex Call - solid, controllable players who aren't exactly game-changers. To make matters worse, Stewart has already joined a slew of Dodgers pitchers on the IL, and Call has gone 3-for-20 at the plate as a Dodger.
The Dodgers' bullpen was severely shorthanded before the deadline, and while Stewart was a good addition, Andrew Friedman would've benefitted by adding at least one more arm, as we've seen since the deadline passed. Watching the Mets land a couple of high-end rentals, and teams like the Padres and Phillies land Mason Miller and Jhoan Duran respectively, makes Los Angeles settling on only Stewart feel much worse.
On the outfield front, Call was an upgrade over James Outman, whom Los Angeles sent to Minnesota in the Stewart deal, but where was Steven Kwan, a player connected ad nauseam to Los Angeles? Adding Kwan's elite on-base ability to hit in front of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman would've been awesome, and it would've given the Dodgers the excuse they've been looking for to finally end the Michael Conforto experiment.
The Dodgers can still repeat as World Series champions, but their odds would've been greater had Friedman done more at the deadline.
1) Scott Harris, Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers were MLB's best team record-wise for much of the first half, but had shown signs of slippage before the deadline. Despite that, and boasting an elite farm system, Scott Harris did what he always does - played conservatively.
Instead of aiming high to find Tarik Skubal the Robin he needed in the Tigers' rotation, Detroit settled on expiring veterans Charlie Morton and Chris Paddack. Morton has pitched well in two of his three starts and Paddack has been better than expected, but are either of these guys really pitchers the Tigers should trust to start in October?
Instead of aiming high in the bullpen, the Tigers acquired Kyle Finnegan, Rafael Montero, Paul Sewald and Codi Heuer. Finnegan has been solid in Detroit and Sewald is still on the Injured List, but Montero has predictably struggled, and Heuer was sent down to Triple-A after just two appearances. There were so many high-end relievers moved, and somehow, the Tigers, a first-place team all year, didn't add a single one of them.
On the position player front, the Tigers didn't make a move, a jarring decision for a team that has ranked just 17th in runs scored since July 1. I get that not many big bats were moved and that the player most fans wanted, Eugenio Suarez, has struggled, but the Tigers had to do something to add more thump to their lineup. Their failure to do so could prove to be costly.