3 Chicago Cubs who won’t survive the trade deadline thanks to disastrous stretch

The Chicago Cubs have entered a complete tailspin over the last few weeks. They went from serious buyers to serious potential sellers in the matter of weeks and it's a downfall that nobody saw coming.

A month ago, Baseball Reference gave the Cubs over a 50 percent chance to make the playoffs. Now, according to their projections, Chicago has just under a 5 percent chance of cracking the postseason.

With their playoff hopes dwindling away right in front of their eyes, the Cubs will need to make some roster moves to begin to prepare for 2025 and beyond. It's the smart thing to do, whether they enter a long rebuild or a short reload. But they certainly have players on their roster now that won't make it past the July 30th trade deadline.

3. Cody Bellinger will be traded before the trade deadline

Here's the big news that Cubs fans have been hearing small ruors about. Yes, it makes sense for the Cubs to deal away Cody Bellinger if they fall out of the playoff contention this season. Let me explain.

Right now, the Nationals and Mets are paying Max Scherzer millions of dollars to pitch for another team. The Cubs can't afford to do this with Bellinger and right now is the perfect time to force another team to take on his full contract.

If Chicago repeats this season next year, they will have to trade Bellinger away anyway. His value is tremendously higher now than it would be at this point next year. Yes, it means Chicago would go back to being uncompetitive for a little, but it would put their rebuild in a great spot.

Bellinger would likely net a few top ten prospects in a team's farm system as well as getting the Cubs off his contract. Chicago would be able to deal a few other players away alongside Bellinger and set themselves up perfectly for their rebuild to be started and completed in the next two seasons. Chicago's farm system is loaded with talent, a lot of which have big league ETAs of 2025.

2. Kyle Hendricks should be DFA'd in the next month

This one is going to sting for the die-hard Cubs fans to hear.

Kyle Hendricks simply isn't a major leaguer at this point. It's the harsh truth, but it's the honest truth. He's looked improved since his move to the bullpen, but he's just not a sustainable option out of the bullpen. In 14.1 innings since becoming a reliever, he holds an ERA just above 3.00.

But Chicago has top prospects that could take the role as an innings eater out of their bullpen. Their bullpen hasn't been the best in the league this year anyway, so it's crucial that Chicago can find the next farm system gems out of the bullpen. If they were to DFA Hendricks, it would open up a roster spot for a few key names in Chicago's farm.

Michael Arias and Cade Horton are the top two names that come to mind, though Horton would absolutely be elevated to start games rather than throw innings out of the bullpen.

Chicago can't leave Horton in Triple-A for too long. He's their top prospect. Once he figures it out and gets on a roll in Triple-A, the Cubs will need to elevate him to the big leagues rather than letting him waste away down there. He hasn't found his stride yet, but once he does, a call up is coming soon.

1. Miles Mastrobuoni won't be on the Cubs roster a month from now

Miles Mastrobuoni is the boring option on this list. He isn't going to be traded in a blockbuster trade like Bellinger. He isn't the veteran that Hendricks is, where it'll be hard for Cubs fans to let him go. He's simply just a fringe big leaguer that isn't playing well enough to stay on the roster.

On the season, Mastrobuoni is slashing .149/.231/.170, good for an OPS+ of 16. Across nearly 50 at bats, he's totaled just eight total bases. He hasn't provided a power threat at all while reaching base at a rather low clip. He's strictly on the roster for depth and Chicago could find better options in the minor leagues.

If Chicago is going to enter a rebuild as I'm suggesting, they could call up Owen Caissie, BJ Murray or Brennen Davis to take Mastrobuoni's place. Murray or Davis would make the most sense, as Caissie is one of Chicago's top prospects and his development is crucial to the future of their organization. They wouldn't want to risk rushing him to the big leagues.

There's even an outside chance that Chicago elevates Matt Shaw or James Triantos to the big leagues, both of whom are in Double-A right now but could skip Triple-A and head straight to the Windy City.