Justin Steele returning to Cy Young form further complicates deadline plans

One of the great stories from last season's Chicago Cubs team was the emergence of Justin Steele, who went from an unproven southpaw to a legitimate Cy Young contender. Steele flew under the radar but finished fifth in the NL Cy Young balloting last season.

The Cubs were missing that version of Steele to begin this season, as the 28-year-old missed over one month with a hamstring injury. He struggled a bit once he returned from the IL, but has been dominant of late and was at his absolute best in Friday's victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

Steele had posted a 1.80 ERA in his last seven starts entering Friday's action, and he just lowered that by pitching a complete game. He allowed just one run on two hits and was in complete command all afternoon. He needed just 95 pitches to dismantle the Halos.

Sure, this start was only against the Angels, but Steele now has a 2.95 ERA in 13 starts this season. He has looked more like the star he was in 2023, and his emergence could make things tricky for them with the trade deadline rapidly approaching.

Cubs have difficult decisions to make while Justin Steele pitches like a star

This was an important win for the Cubs who won their second game in a row for the first time since taking two from the Giants on June 18 and 19. They'll look to win their third straight game for the first time since late April on Saturday.

Chicago now sits at 41-48 on the season, which is not at all what they expected entering the year. They're 11.5 games back of the first-place Brewers in the NL Central and are 5.5 games back of the third Wild Card spot. FanGraphs gives them a 7.4 percent chance of making it to the postseason. Slim odds for sure, but they're not zero.

What the Cubs do at the deadline depends entirely on what Chicago does in the coming weeks. They have two more games coming up against the Angels, but then things get very difficult with matchups against the Orioles, Cardinals, Brewers, and Royals all on the horizon before the deadline. How they do in that stretch will determine their direction.

We know that the Cubs don't want to sell, and it'd be a shame to sell in the midst of what looks like another special season from Steele, but if their odds get any slimmer than they are right now, any argument to buy would certainly be laughed at.

Steele can only do so much. It's up to his teammates to pick up the slack to avoid a rough trade deadline outcome.