The Chicago Cubs are not a good baseball team. They maybeat up on the really bad teams like the Washington Nationals but they are still 7.5 games out of first place in a weak NL Central Division.
We are also about two weeks away from the MLB Trade Deadline where teams have some tough decisions to make. The Cubs should very much decide to be sellers.
If they were to buy a few things to fill in the cracks, would they be a World Series contender? No. No, they would not. If they want to hand out some quality extensions to good players that would be lovely. However, if agreements aren’t made, moves should be.
There are plenty of players on this Cubs team right now that could get lots of interest. It feels like there is a chance that these five players won’t survive the trade deadline:
1. Yan Gomes
The Chicago Cubs could move one of their catchers that is having a good year.
The Chicago Cubs should trade Yan Gomes right now while they can. He is having a really nice year as a catcher for them.
One year removed from losing Willson Contreras to the hated St. Louis Cardinals in free agency, Gomes has taken that starting job behind the plate and ran with it.
He isn’t this world-beater by any means but having an OPS over .700 as a 35-year-old catcher is nothing to be ashamed of. One thing is for certain, his trade value will never be higher again!
He also brings a wealth of experience to whoever would be adding him. He was on the 2016 Cleveland team that lost the World Series to the Cubs so that was one deep run.
He also won the whole thing with the Washington Nationals in 2019 which is another obvious deep run. Between his good play and experience around the league, don’t be surprised if he gets moved.
2. Patrick Wisdom
The Chicago Cubs should try to get something for Patrick Wisdom now.
The Chicago Cubs should absolutely trade Patrick Wisdom. They don’t have a spot for him starting every day right now and that is including some injuries that the Cubs are dealing with.
In that aforementioned limited playing time, Wisdom still leads the team in home runs. There are great players with 100+ more plate appearances that don’t have as many as he does.
That is a reason to trade him. Outside of hitting these home runs, he strikes out a lot and plays marginal defense (although he can play tons of positions).
Not playing him every day is a weird decision by David Ross but a contender would love to add all that power to their bench (and maybe more).
Wisdom has been a fantastic player for the Cubs during a time when it wasn’t very easy. Now that the deadline approaches, we’ll see if there is any interest in him from World Series-level teams.
3. Nick Madrigal
It would make sense for the Chicago Cubs to trade Nick Madrigal right now.
When the Chicago Cubs acquired Nick Madrigal (and Codi Heuer) from the Chicago White Sox, it felt like a major win for the north side.
Well, the White Sox got Craig Kimbrel back in the trade which felt like a win at the moment but it wasn’t. Kimbrel’s time in a White Sox uniform was a disaster. It makes it worse that he was an All-Star with the Phillies in 2023.
This trade, no matter what, was a genius move by the Chicago Cubs front office. Taking a chance on an infielder and reliever in exchange for Kimbrel was very smart for the Cubs.
Heuer has been mostly hurt but Madrigal has had his moments. He is probably a bust for a 4th overall pick but he is still a serviceable MLB player as a middle infielder.
Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner are going to be there manning shortstop and second base (assuming health) for the foreseeable future which leaves Madrigal as the odd man out.
There is no doubt that he might be able to help a contender get even deeper down the stretch and into the playoffs. His name isn’t really attached to rumors but it would be interesting to see him move along to a team that believes in itself. He isn’t a game breaker but a solid bench piece could be the difference.
4. Cody Bellinger
The Chicago Cubs should trade Cody Bellinger if he isn’t staying long-term.
You can argue that Cody Bellinger is the best trade asset that the Chicago Cubs have on their roster right now. For one, he is on an expiring contract so whoever is getting him is landing a pure rental (unless they extend him).
He had some really bad years to end his tenure with the Los Angeles Dodgers. That came after some seasons where he was an MVP, World Series champion, and one of the best players in baseball.
His goal when coming to the Cubs was to turn his career around back in the right direction. He isn’t even 30 years old yet so there is plenty of good left in him.
Well, he fixed his image and then some this year. He is healthy and playing some very good baseball. To be honest, he is closer to his MVP self than his bad player self.
A team trying to win it all would love to add a big-time bat like that. He also has a ton of experience winning big games late in the season which is important.
5. Marcus Stroman
The Chicago Cubs and Marcus Stroman may have to part ways at the deadline.
Marcus Stroman is right there with Cody Bellinger as the top trade asset in the Chicago Cubs organization right now. He is having a great year as the ace of the starting pitching staff.
Stroman was so good in the first half that he was selected to be a National League All-Star which is a great honor. He should be proud of the year he is having.
He has made it pretty clear that he wants to stay in Chicago with his quotes but an extension isn’t even close to being done. If that isn’t going to be the case, the Cubs should absolutely trade him.
Stroman is one of the better pitchers that could be traded right now and contenders know that. He’d be great for anyone to add to their staff as they prepare for a deep run in October.
With the way things have gone for the Cubs here in 2023, don’t be surprised if trades are the fate for these players. Some good young pieces could be coming back in return. We shall see.