Chicago Cubs Director of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer The team confirmed that it has no plans to acquire any rental players before the July 30 trade deadline.Our focus is on 2025 and beyond.
“Unless things change dramatically next week,” Hoyer said before Monday’s 3-1 win. Milwaukee Brewers At Wrigley Field. The sudden turnaround came on an eight-game winning streak that began around this time last summer. But the Cubs have plenty of time to prove themselves. At 49-53 with 60 games to play, reality is slowly starting to sink in.
What does this mean?
The front office will not maintain the status quo.
Hoyer, Theo Epstein’s general manager and eventual successor, has been heavily involved in 12 trade deadlines during his time as a Cubs executive, and each time the team has decided to buy or sell to varying degrees.
There were also trades made with an eye to the future for players whose status was unknown. Kyle Hendricks Jake Arrieta. A big trade was made to complete the 2016 World Series team and strengthen the championship core.
The Cubs added during the 2020 pandemic season, then dismantled at the 2021 deadline, targeting minor league pitchers. Ben Brown and Hayden Wesneski 2022. Even with last year’s careful pivot, Heuer Jeimer Candelariohe may have been the best hitter at the time.
The Cubs acquired Jeimer Candelario at the deadline last year and he posted a .764 OPS in 41 games. (David Cole/USA Today)
“Look at where we are right now in terms of competition,” Hoyer says. “There are only a few times of the year when deals actually get done. In this industry, deadlines force action. When you have a deadline, people are more willing to have serious discussions. We’re always having discussions. But when there’s no deadline, there’s not as much pressure. So it’s harder for both sides to come to an agreement.”
“That’s something we’ve always thought about. It’s a time when people are making deals, so to some extent you’ve got to take advantage of that opportunity. You’ve got to be in that market, because if you miss that opportunity, you’ve missed an opportunity to at least find out what people think of your players.”
Relief pitchers take action
The Cubs will likely listen to player concepts, including All-Star pitchers. Justin Steele Gold Glove Second Baseman Nico HornerBut the price tag for such a theoretical deal would be prohibitive.
A more likely scenario would be a retooling of the bullpen, as Hoyer has avoided big investments in relief pitchers, seeing their performance as erratic and unpredictable, and with the bullpen’s recent strong performance, it would make sense to sell certain players for a higher price.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell is also open to using young pitchers and believes they can compete well without a closer. After the trade deadline, the schedule will be somewhat relaxed as they will only need to pitch innings for two months. Some injured pitchers should be able to recover and return this season and remain competitive.
Playoff teams are always looking to strengthen their bullpens, so Mark Leiter Jr., Hector Neris, Drew Smiley and Jorge Lopez That could attract a variety of interest. The Cubs also Julian Merryweather He will be removed from the 60-day disabled list before Monday’s game. By moving a veteran relief pitcher, the Cubs could develop a 100-mph rookie, e.g. Hunter Biggehas just returned to Triple-A Iowa.
“You have to make sure you take advantage of opportunities,” Hoyer said. “Not just in the bullpen, but in everything. You always have to listen and always think about what you can do for the future. You’ve got seasons where you’re playing really well and you’re in a good position, but then your only focus is, ‘How do we prepare for the playoffs? How do we make this team unbeatable for the next 60 games?'”
“We’re obviously not in that position, so when you’re not in that position, you have to seize the opportunity and be creative.”
No plans to retreat next year
The day after the deadline, the Cubs still have a core group of players with no-trade clauses, a top-tier farm system, financial flexibility and one of the best managers in baseball. Shota Imanaga He is expected to be a key part of a strong rotation that can be bolstered with free agency, trade deals and the team’s own pitching staff. Pete Crow Armstrong They will learn from these experiences and improve at an accelerating rate, and with a strong hitter in the middle of the lineup, their current lineup would function at a much higher level.
“We’re going to have a good outlook going into ’25,” Hoyer said. “We’re looking at the organization and the outlook pretty much the same way we’re going to look at Opening Day or May 1. Obviously, we’re the team that our record shows. We’ve struggled the last couple of months, but with the right additions, we’ll be where we originally thought we were going to be going into the year, maybe a little further than that because our young guys are getting better.”
“Obviously, we’re getting new information, new data every day to make a judgment call (on individual players). Things change. It would be crazy to say nothing has changed. Of course, things are changing. My point is, at the macro, 30,000-foot level, that’s how I see it.”
It cannot be completely denied Cody Bellinger Trade speculation still
With everything falling into place over the course of a week, it’s highly unlikely the Cubs will be able to give former MVP Cody Bellinger a decent contract with a broken middle finger, two opt-out clauses in his $80 million contract and declining power numbers.
But Bellinger has been taking repeated batting practice in the cage since the All-Star break and is making progress toward Tuesday’s batting practice at Wrigley Field. His throwing practice has been delayed, and he needs to gauge how his left hand responds to the velocity and how to adjust to the different speeds.
“There are some hurdles to overcome,” Counsell said, but added the Cubs are “cautiously optimistic” Bellinger can return sooner than expected.
(Top photo of Seiya Suzuki by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
