The Chicago Cubs are interested in making a playoff push with their current resurgence but is the team a prisoner of the moment and being too short-sighted? Will acquisitions at the MLB Trade Deadline make enough of a difference this year?
The Chicago Cubs are reportedly no longer planning on being sellers at the MLB Trade Deadline on August 1st but actually may be buyers to make a playoff push.
Jesse Rogers of ESPN reported on July 30th that the Cubs will not be trading Cody Bellinger at the MLB Trade Deadline.
This can't come a shock at this point. Amazing, the team made it an easier decision than anyone could have guessed (I assume). Sources: Cubs tell teams Bellinger won't be dealt https://t.co/wavoECw6Bh
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) July 30, 2023
You have to respect the team’s vigor and enthusiasm rooted in their recent hot-streak. The Cubs won seven straight games in a row until falling to the St. Louis Cardinals yesterday, taking three out of four to win the series. The only issue here is that these seven straight wins came against the Cardinals and the Chicago White Sox, teams both under .500 for the year and tremendously underachieving throughout the season.
The Cubs have won twelve of their last fifteen games with the only semi-competitive team being the Boston Red Sox. This shouldn’t be a barometer for the franchises potential success going forward into the second half of the season. The team will have a better gauge of their playoff aspirations in the coming weeks with series against the division rival Cincinnati Reds, NL East leading Atlanta Braves and AL Wild Card contender Toronto Blue Jays.
Too Hasty?
Should the Cubs really be buyers at the MLB Trade Deadline being so far away from serious contention? The team could acquire some help in the pitching rotation, bullpen and add some more reliable hitters to the lineup but can the Cubs feasibly compete with the Braves or the Los Angeles Dodgers if they manage to make it past the Wild Card Series?
Bellinger and Marcus Stroman have been names floated around throughout the season that could see departures at the MLB Trade Deadline for the Cubs. Stroman and Bellinger will both be free-agents next year which will mean if the team doesn’t trade them at the deadline, the Cubs will let them walk without acquiring any assets in return.
Stroman would be a valuable addition to any contenders rotation needing an extra veteran arm. Bellinger has been white hot in the month of July with a .404/.437/.658 slash line. Bellinger is batting .314 on the season with 15 home-runs, 46 RBI’s and a ridiculous 140 OPS+.
More than anyone, we would love to see the Cubs contend but the team should stay the course on its rebuild and deal away their expiring assets which can help them further bolster their farm system. The future is more important than the present and a hasty push for the playoffs this year may derail the progress they’ve made in recent years.
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