It’s hard to find a bigger disappointment in Major League Baseball this season than the Chicago Cubs.
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The Cubs made the first big splash of the offseason, poaching manager Craig Counsell from his seat with the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs made him the highest-paid manager in MLB history, giving him a five-year, $40 million deal.
“It just felt like an exceptionally hard decision, but one that I felt like I had to make,” Cubs president Jed Hoyer said in November. “From my perspective, my job is to figure out how to win as many games as we possibly can in the short term and in the long term. And there was nothing about this move that I didn’t feel like met that criteria.”
In terms of players, the Cubs signed a star pitcher in left-hander Shota Imanaga from Japan. They also re-signed bounceback star Cody Bellinger, brought in right-handed reliever Hector Neris, and acquired infielder Michael Busch and right-handed reliever Yency Almonte from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
After falling just one game shy of a postseason berth in 2023, the Cubs were widely expected to dominate the National League Central in 2024. That hasn’t happened.
The Cubs enter the final week before the trade deadline at 48-53, 10 games back of the first place Brewers in the NL Central. They’re 3.5 games back of the third and final Wild Card spot in the NL.
While the Cubs are far from out of the race, Hoyer doesn’t seem confident in a late-season turnaround and potential deep postseason run. While speaking to reporters on Monday ahead of the Cubs’ series opener against the Brewers in Chicago, Hoyer said the team will likely be sellers at the trade deadline.
“I think where we are right now, I would say that moves only for ’24 — unless things change over the next week — we probably won’t do a lot of moves that only help us for this year,” Hoyer said to reporters. “If moves help us in ’25 and beyond, I think we’re still exceptionally well positioned. I think that’s what our focus will be. But just helping in ’24, I think that probably won’t be our focus unless things change dramatically.”
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This is all but an official declaration that the Cubs will be sellers at this year’s deadline, adding a key team to a short list of potential sellers.
Who Could the Cubs Trade at the Deadline?
The Cubs have a handful of players who will be sought after at the deadline. Bellinger, first and foremost, would be a great option for a team in need of an outfielder or first baseman. Bellinger is a former NL MVP who won Comeback Player of the Year in 2023, but has taken a minor step back in 2024. He has player options the next two seasons.
Right-handed pitcher Kyle Hendricks is on an expiring contract and has had an up-and-down season but has allowed just three earned runs in his last 12 innings of work. He could be an option for a team looking for an innings-eater.
Neris would be another option as he has a club option for 2025. He has a 3.74 ERA in 36 relief appearances this season.
Finally, right-handed starter Jameson Taillon would be a potential trade candidate. The 32-year-old has had a resurgent 2024 season, sporting a 3.10 ERA across 93 innings of work.
Players who would fetch big returns but may be viewed as long-term pieces for Chicago are left-handed starter Justin Steele and second baseman Nico Hoerner. It sounds like Hoyer is planning on contending in 2025, though, so it’s unlikely they would move on from those players unless they’re getting close to major league ready talent in return.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.