Chicago Cubs Rumors: A case for each trade deadline scenario
By Jason Parini
The Chicago Cubs could buy pieces and add to their roster for a run.
As we said earlier, the Cubs aren’t exactly a good team. But they’re also not a bad team.
They’re 21-14 against sub-.500 teams and have won or split three of their last four series including taking two of three against the New York Yankees in the Bronx.
Could that be enough to convince ownership and management that the team deserves a shot to contend? Likely not. But let’s break it down.
Pros: As mentioned, the Cubs are generally winning the series that they should be winning and are only 8.5 games out of the division. They’ll soon be getting back former Gold Glover Dansby Swanson.
By adding some pitching pieces, a solid first baseman, and another bat or two, the Cubs could make a playoff run and gain important playoff experience for some of their young stars.
They still have 13 games against the two teams that they trail in the division as well as series against the White Sox, Cardinals, Mets, Royals, Tigers, Pirates, and Rockies, all of which are sub-.500 teams.
The Cubs do have numerous outfield prospects who they could trade and they could even give up a bit more prospects to get players with another year of team control.
Cons: It’s a wide gap between the Cubs and the top of the division as well as the wild card. If they did buy at the deadline, they’d have to mortgage their future to likely lose in the first round of the playoffs (or still not make it at all).
They also don’t have any series against the Padres or Marlins who they’re chasing in the wild card, so they’d need a bit of help if the wild card is their best path to the playoffs.
They also have a significant amount of pieces that they would need to acquire, so it wouldn’t be as simple as just adding a bat and a pitcher and becoming a winning team.
As tough as it is to watch an inconsistent, sub.500 team and have to deal with another year of selling off assets, it’s hard to rationalize being buyers with so many needs and inconsistencies on this year’s Chicago Cubs team.