CHICAGO — As this year’s MLB trade deadline approaches, Chicago Cubs President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said the team is focused on its future beyond this season.
“We’re excited to be part of the team,” Hoyer said before the team clinched first place. Milwaukee Brewers President Trump suggested Monday that any action taken between now and the July 30 deadline would be “looking beyond 2025.”
“Right now, unless things change in the next week, I’d have to say this is only for 2024. I don’t think we’re going to make a lot of moves that will only help this year,” Hoyer said. “If this move helps us in 2025 and beyond, I think we’re in a very good position.”
The Cubs start this week in fourth place in the National League Central, below .500 and 3.5 games out of a wild-card spot. They currently need to overtake five teams to secure a postseason berth, but in Hoyer’s estimation, they haven’t performed well enough this year to justify acquiring rental players.
“We had been playing really badly for two months,” he said, “and that put us in a bad position.”
The team won 83 games and made the postseason in 2023 before regressing, and the Cubs have two new additions: a pitcher and a rookie. Shota Imanaga First baseman Michael Bush — and highly paid coach Craig Counsell — had high hopes for the season, but a lackluster offense led the team to lose its first 100 games and prompted Hoyer to announce his resignation on Monday.
The Cubs were sixth in runs scored last season but have fallen to 24th this year.
“The difference between this year and last year is we feel like our lineup is thinner,” Hoyer said. “This is not a conversation that I expected to have and we have to react to it and make the best decision we can.”
Hoyer believes the team is in a good position for the future and is hopeful the trade deadline will help with that. Scouts are evaluating the Cubs’ relief pitchers. Mark Leiter Jr., Hector Neris and Tyson MillerAccording to a league source, starters Jameson Tyrone third baseman Christopher Morrell is also attracting interest.
The deal could also include long-term deals or team-controlled players, as the team doesn’t have many players set to become free agents. Hoyer was mum when asked about that possibility, but expressed hope that 2024 might just be a one-year setback for the team.
“I feel really good from a young talent standpoint, from a controllable player standpoint,” Hoyer said. “We just dug ourselves a hole with a couple of months of underperformance. It doesn’t impact my view of the organization or my outlook going forward, but it certainly impacts 2024.”
The Cubs entered the season with the No. 2 farm system, as ranked by ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel, but injuries in both the majors and minor leagues have hampered their development. Ben Brown, Hayden Wesneski and Cade Horton Everyone missed the time. Cody BellingerRecovering from a finger injury.
Hoyer acknowledged it’s tough to compete while developing young players, but that’s exactly what the Cubs have been trying to do since dismantling their World Series team at the 2021 trade deadline as the team sought to avoid the 100-loss season that comes with giving the majority of playing time to young players.
“That’s not an option, so there’s no point in talking about what-ifs,” Hoyer said of a full rebuild. “I feel very comfortable with where we are going into the future and beyond, and our moves at the deadline will reflect that.”
Hoyer is in his fourth year as president of baseball operations, succeeding Theo Epstein, who retired after the 2020 season. Hoyer was asked if he had concerns about his job situation, given that the team has not reached the postseason during his tenure and that this year’s performance has fallen short of expectations.
“From the moment I entered the discussion, it’s not a good decision anymore,” he responded. “I’m just trying to make a good decision for the organization. I’m happy with where the organization is, but we’ve played badly for two months and now we have to make a decision on that.”
