3 reasons the Chicago Cubs should be buyers at the trade deadline

3. A team should never pass on a chance to make the playoffs

The Chicago Cubs could make the playoffs this year if they are smart.

It feels like people are forgetting this franchise was once the lovable losers.

Punting on the playoffs might be best for the long-term outlook but there is no guarantee the team will be in a position to win the division next year or the year after that.

The belief that any team under .500 should just give up is forgetting recent history. The 2021 Atlanta Braves were below .500 until early August and they went on to win the World Series. They used the trade deadline to turn their season around.

The 2019 World Series-winning Washington Nationals were under .500 until late June. The 2022 Philadelphia Phillies season looked lost in early June and they turned things around to get to the World Series.

The playoffs have become so random that all you need to do is get in. If you have the starting pitching, you got a chance. The Cubs have three starters capable of winning in October.

Of course, the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers are more talented but that does not mean they are going to go all the way.

Now the goal is to win the World Series and Fangraphs only give the Cubs a .3% chance. If we went with the best odds to get to the World Series, then the Dodgers and Yankees would be playing the Fall Classic every year.

Each season should be treated as sacred.

While the Cubs have still not yet completed their full rebuild, they are getting a bonus year to compete for a division title. Imagine if the Chicago Cubs in 2015 decided they needed another trade deadline to get them over the top.

This division is very winnable, especially when Fangraphs is projecting the Brewers to win it with 83 games. The Cubs are projected to win 79 games, so it is not like tanking the rest of the way will help the draft position.

Based on those win totals, the Cubs need to make a few moves to improve by five wins over the Brewers.

Stroman and Bellinger can yield a nice return if they are traded before the deadline. They could also help return the NL Central Division title to Chicago. That will always have more value than a couple of unknown prospects.