The Cubs beat their crosstown rivals this evening, pulling themselves within two games of .500 in the process. The North Siders now sit at 49-51, six games behind the Brewers in the NL Central and 4 1/2 back of the three teams (Arizona, San Francisco and Philadelphia) tied for the last couple Wild Card spots.
With the club on the fringe of contention, the front office continues to evaluate whether it’s more prudent to add for a playoff push or move short-term veterans for future value. Before tonight’s win, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer wrote that the Cubs had yet to commit to a direction with the deadline a week off.
If Chicago were to entertain offers, they’d be able to market two of the top players available. Aside from Shohei Ohtani, no impending free agent hitter with a chance to move would be more impactful than Cody Bellinger. While he hasn’t quite recaptured his MVP heights, Bellinger has bounced most of the way back from two middling seasons to finish his Dodgers’ tenure. He’s hitting .314/.363/.540 over 292 trips to the plate and typically rates as an above-average to plus defensive center fielder.
Marcus Stroman would be one of the top pitchers on the market. The 32-year-old has struggled in July but still carries an excellent 3.09 ERA over 122 1/3 innings. He’s picking up ground-balls at a 57.8% clip, continuing his career track record of stifling opponents’ power output.
Both players are likely headed for free agency. Bellinger is sure to decline his end of a mutual option. Barring injury, Stroman will do the same with a $21MM player option. Stroman has angled for a contract extension, but the Cubs are reportedly holding off on such talks as they consider trade options. Bellinger will be one of the top hitters in a free agent class light on impact bats. With top center field prospects like Kevin Alcántara and Pete Crow-Armstrong in the farm system and Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ on multi-year contracts, there’s an argument for the Cubs to prioritize players other than Bellinger past this season.
It has generally been assumed the Cubs would either trade both Bellinger and Stroman or neither player (depending on whether they decide to sell). However, Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic wrote this evening that Chicago could also consider dealing Stroman while hanging on to Bellinger. That’s a result of the players’ respective qualifying offer status.
Stroman already received and accepted a qualifying offer in his career. Players can be tagged with a QO a maximum of one time. Bellinger has never received the offer. If the Cubs hold both through season’s end, they’d only be able to tender the QO to Bellinger. They’d get a draft choice if Bellinger signed elsewhere but no compensation if Stroman departed.
Beyond that duo, the Cubs have a handful of potential trade candidates. Kyle Hendricks is controllable for another season on a $16MM team option and carries a 3.38 ERA over 11 starts. Yan Gomes is a solid veteran catcher; his contract contains a $6MM club option for 2024. Michael Fulmer is an affordable rental reliever who has pitched well over the past six weeks.
Whether any of those players move could well be determined by the on-field results of the next six days. The Cubs wrap their series with the White Sox tomorrow. They’ll go to St. Louis for a four-game set through the weekend and play one game against the Reds (one of the teams they’re trying to track down) before the deadline.
Crow-Armstrong no longer looks like he’ll pan out. It just never all came together for him.
Lol what
He’s hitting .282/.361/.507 as a 21-year-old in Double-A and ranks 14th on Baseball America’s updated Top 100.
Possibly but there’s other factors beyond those numbers which will keep him from reaching his once lofty potential. Many players before him have put up attractive minor league numbers and achieved a high prospect ranking (for whatever that’s worth) and went on to do very little at the major league level.
Should the Cubs trade him to the South Side Bums and then you will proclaim he is the next Ty Cobb?
The kid is going to be a Star in the league and will be a joy to watch when he hits the majors.
What factors? I mean clearly you know more than Baseball America, so tell us.
You’re being baited don’t respond to this troll
Na he’s not trolling. His takes are just that horrible.
To be honest, I thought he only made misogynistic posts attacking Kim Ng. It is refreshing to see him make a post that is merely a bad baseball take.
PCA has a chance to be a good player. But he’s a 21 year old prospect. Let’s take it easy here. Look what happened to Brennan Davis.
PCA is different.
He’s a bit of a weenie and show off, But that won’t matter if you get the job done. That only matters if you stink. Baseball has had a lot of weenies, And still does.
If you can resign Bellinger, you have the luxury to bring up PCA or the other 4 OF prospects in their top 12, and see what they’re worth. Bellinger solves 2 potential issues: 1B or CF. If any OF works out, Belly at 1B, if they don’t, Belly at CF. We’re not finding a better fit for the need we have.
If you don’t sign him, you’re still looking and spending.
I’d prefer to lock him up, concentrate efforts on 3B and SP for 2024.
If the return is massive, sure. If you doubt the ability to resign, sure. But otherwise, he’s about the exact fit we need/want. Power hitting LH hitter with gold glove value under 30. Ohtani isn’t coming.
It’s a tough call. If they get to within 3-4 games come deadline day, I think they stand pat. Trading Belli and Stroman would be the wisest move. Get value and try to bring bellinger back in offseason.
The worst thing they can do is nothing. They need to either sell everything of value and look at next year, or they need to add rental pieces to try and contend this year. The current roster won’t make it to the playoffs.
Doing nothing would be a massive failure by the Cubs front office.
Playoffs mean nothing if your not a WS contender. The decision to make a trade should rest on what the Cubs receive in return for their players.
The weekend series vs Cards will likely determine the plan. If they go 4-1 in next five and get over .500, I think they will keep Stroman and Bellinger. They still may move Smiley and Fulmer even if they try to contend as they could still get a solid return for them.
JimD- Exactly what do you think you’re going to get for Smyly and Fulmer? A case of Skunk Beer? Some “I like Ike “campaign buttons? A ticket to Lets Make a Deal? LMAO
And if the Cubs beat the pathetic W. Sox and Not very good Cardinals teams it’s 2016 again for you? Even if they keep all these guys and win the division then what? This isn’t the Phillies team from last year. They just outhit almost everyone. The Cubs can’t do that or out pitch anyone.
LOL, yes they can. If they go out and get a 3B who can really hit, that pushes Bellinger to 1B, bring up PCA to play center if they think he is ready or leave in Tauchman. That is a deep lineup. Their pitching can’t out pitch anyone? LOL. I’d put Steele, Stroman, Hendricks up against any other team. Taillon was the issue and it looks like he is turning it around. Absolutely hilarious post.
Talk about Rose colored glasses. Wow. LMAO
Rose-colored glasses? You’re obviously either a fan of a team that hates the Cubs or a self-loathing Cubs fan. Your post is so blatantly bias and misinformed that you MUST be one or the other.
Well I’m a Cub fan but I’m also a realist. You’re just deluded. Stroman has a cloudy to bad playoff pitching record. Steele has none. I love Steele but facts are facts. He’s never pitched this many innings so you have no idea what will happen with him. The bullpen is spotty at best. The Phillies had 2 great tested starters and fortified their bullpen at the deadline last year. The Cubs hitting has been sporadic and either all in or all out. The Phillies had bats that just bludgeoned people and still do.So if you believe this Cubs team is anything like them, Either you do copious amounts of drugs, Hang with Aaron Rodgers in the smoke tent, Hallucinate frequently or just plain drink a lot. So hopefully a trip to detox will straighten you out. You sound like that A’s fan that said they were going to make the playoffs and now are leaving town. Get a grip.
“He’s never pitched that many innings so you have no idea what will happen with him.” LOL, but you do?
Talking to you is boring me.
Let’s Make A Deal is great! Wayne Brady and crew are hilarious! And the original with Montey Hall was legendary.
If you get a offer that’s make sense long term then they owe it to us to pull the trigger..
Would love to get a package = to what the cubs traded away for Q
this is exactly what they don’t want to do. if they trade Bellinger and/or Stroman it needs to be with an eye on next season. Not 3 or 4 down the road.
Yes, they need near mlb ready talent if they trade anyone. They have stocked the farm with 4-5 year projects for 2 seasons. It’s time to get moving. I’d personally add at the deadline and bank on the fact that cinci and Milwaukee aren’t that good. They have a ton of game against both teams.
I feel like the cubs will try to do a mix of buying and selling. Trade off one of Stroman or Bellinger and pick up a established 1b/3b/dh option for at least next year. Mancini and Wisdom ain’t cutting it, and we need a fall back option for Mervis. Morel can fill one of those spots, but we still need a solid, consistent bat to contend this year and next year.
Cubs need pitching, don’t need to add more bats
They absolutely need a power bat at third. I think it’s the biggest hole they have to fill. If they decide to, that’s something they could potentially address at the deadline. But no one’s gonna trade pitching to them mid season- One of the 2 biggest chips they have to trade is Stroman. They’ll have to add arms in the offseason.
Cubs have a bunch of prospect starters who want major league playtime soon. They probably should add a solid #3 guy in the offseason, but they don’t necessarily need it now. The bullpen has ironed itself out over the season. Merryweather and Leiter look decent, Palencia has impressed me, but it’s a very small sample size, Alzolay has taken the closer role very well, but he probably shouldn’t stick there long term. We need maybe two arms in there, but we can do that easily in free agency.
Cubs are 23rd and 26th in offensive production out of 1b/DH. That’s a serious problem out of offense only positions. If we want to look like a contender, we need to fix that. Even league average would be fine.
If they decide to go for it, they really need bullpen help.
Play as hard to get as possible, then sell, sell, sell. Cubs have incredible assets to move, but not enough to contend for a title. They’re possibly the most attractive trading team this deadline. Some may say the Cardinals, but beyond two serviceable SP, what else?
They need to keep the team intact and buy. Try to acquire a 3B. Get some bullpen help. If they sell it should be Stroman only unfortunately. Bellinger is nearly back to form. He’s been the best player in baseball in July. Should easily win POTM.
He has had a great month. Still trailed behind Freeman, Betts, Tucker, Yelich, Arrenado for the month. Good group to b up there with tho.
Unless your going for Ohtani, no use mortgaging the future. Not even at .500 yet and still have to play catch-up to the other teams ahead of you. I say trade the rentals on the roster and build for long term success.
Cubs should be making Stroman a team-friendly extension offer. Stroman has had a couple of bad starts lately so maybe the Cubs can get a decent deal. If a long-term extension cannot be done, then trade him for a quality prospect and try to re-sgn in off-season.
Personally, I see no path for the Cubs to be a wild-card and only a long-shot to win the division. But yeah, if they win 4 out of 5, then as a big-market team they should play things out.
I think the Cubs should keep Gomes, pay him $6 million for next year, and trade Barnhart for whatever they can get, which will not be a team top #30 prospect, it will be much less.
But Gomes and Amaya are a great time-share for 2024 and in 2025 Amaya will be ready to be the full-time catcher.
Good thoughts Manny.
Cubs need to flip the switch and be buyers at the deadline. This team has a good core group of young players and it’s time to send a message to them and the fans that we are dedicated to winning on the north side. They are playing VERY good baseball right now. Let it ride!
If the Brewers weren’t consistent overachievers and well run/managed maybe, but they are even if the Reds bullpen runs out of gas to slow down its surprise season. Don’t let beating the walking dead WSox and Cards cloud their sub .500 record roughly 2/3 of the way in.
Sell high on Stroman…..and Boras client Bellinger when the club is clearly mediocre.
LFG!!!
Cubs will need to be knocked over for a deal to trade either Bellinger or Stroman. I’d much rather trade Hendricks and Stroman and bring up Wesneki and Brown and let them finish out the year. Cubs have the easiest schedule the rest of the season. The comment about PCA is laughable. He should be in AAA right now. He has nothing left to prove in AA. They have 4 pitchers who have to get a chance in MLB. Killian, Brown, Wesneski and Wicks. If you think those 2 emergency starts Killian made mean anything that would be a mistake. These guys need more than a 2 game audition. They need the ball in MLB, Not Iowa. Brewers, Reds and Red Sox are all playing young players and doing well. Going younger doesn’t have to mean getting worse, It actually worked last year. As far as Belli and Stro go think Contreras. The bar has already been set.
Man, it sure feels like he is getting close. Southern League ball is making it hard to evaluate guys this season. It’s probably a little tougher hitting environment than AAA is in the PCL. Personally, I’d like to see the K rate drop and the BB rate tick up a bit before he’s promoted. Batted ball data looks like he’s using all fields again after he got a little pull happy after the promotion. If he were a year older I’d probably be beating the drum to promote him now. I’m definitely splitting hairs here. Still wouldn’t be shocked to see him in Iowa by end of August. Fun problem to have.
Pitching to 4.00 ERAs in AAA show those guys are not ready beyond spot duty or September callous if Cubs fade in August. Hendricks is a reliable 3/4 starter and a coach/leader in the dugout. Stupid to suggest trading him and going with unproven guys to try to get to the playoffs. He’s a guy who makes them dangerous in playoffs because he has shown he can be unhittable.
Cubs at least need to kick the tires with Bellinger and Stroman’s agents and see if they got market value contract offers for 2024 forward if they’d stay. If they still believe that they want to test the market then you must sell. I’d keep Hendricks because having a veteran in the rotation when you bring up Wicks and Brown will be crucial. I would also see if you could get any takers for Happ or Suzuki to clear spots in the OF for Morel and Canario.
Boxer- Suzuki has a No Trade contract. After the extension for Happ he’s basically not movable unless they eat a bunch of money. Happ has basically regressed back to mediocre and now overpaid. If they hadn’t extended him he’d be being traded right now and Perlaza and Velasquez would be getting 2 month auditions if nothing else. They’re probably not the long term answer, But they could be mediocre and cheap.
Gotta disagree on Happ. He is playing in line with his contract, 1.9 WAR ($15.1MM) thru 60% of the season. Power is down this season, but dude’s getting on base at the highest rate of his career which is well above league average (.370 vs .320). I’d like to see him pull the ball a bit more the rest of the season. He’s been using the whole field more this season than any time in his career.
Mike, you’re not wrong about your comments about Happ and Suzuki- but that doesn’t necessarily mean other teams wouldn’t be interested in them. Teams like the Yankees and the Marlins and a few others who don’t have OFers in their system who are projected as near MLB quality- might very much like to pick up a stop gap controlled OF for a couple of years. Both of these guys are decent players.
I’d then use the money saved, to try to get Belli back.
As far as Hendricks, I’d keep him around, he brings stability and quality. I know he’s not getting younger, but I’d count on him at this point for 2024, more than Taillon. But I also agree we need Wesneski and Brown and Wicks some MLB starts – not Kilian though. He’s done nothing at Iowa to justify a promotion.
Bone- What part of Suzuki has a no trade contract is throwing you? He’s basically here for 3 more years after this at the least. Like it or not he’s your RF through 2026. He’s not ridiculously overpaid, But he’s not really what we told he was either, At least not yet. He’s very inconsistent at best. As for Happ after his career year batting RH he’s basically gone back to what he was before and teams are starting to flip him around again and make him hit RH. And every other team sees it.
Mike there are maaannyyy players with NTC that are traded every year.
True. But they’re mostly guys who have become unhappy. he doesn’t look unhappy to me. And Hoyer and the boys still rave about him so I don’t see it happening. The only way I see him leaving early is if he gets homesick and wants to go home. Or he suffers from the curse we all must bear. If his old lady puts her foot down and says come home, Or however you say it Japanese.
I’m not too worried about a hypothetical future roster that has 4 outfielders that deserve playing time. Not like the Cubs are flush with current or near-term solutions at 1b/3b/DH.
Kinda like worrying about a team with 6 starting pitchers going into spring training. These type of things tend to work themselves out.
The Cubs have too many holes in the roster to buy their way into contention this trade deadline.
3B production has been a problem all season.. 1B has (at best) been inconsistent.. Bullpen has been a problem. The rotation depth is quite shallow. They could pick up two or three but the kids are not quite ready to fill in the remaining gaps that would make the Cubs true contenders..
The question is do you keep hold of players, have a fun end to the season, and appear more attractive to the 2023 free agents, or sell now, pick up a some pieces, call up the kids for experience, and use the rest of the season to prepare for 2024?
I saw a.proposed trade the other day with the Astros. We trade Stroman and Bellinger and get an MLB starting pitcher (Bielak?), the Astros #1 OF prospect, the Astros #1 infield prospect and two quality double A arms. I think if you can get a sweet deal like that you have to take it. If not, just keep them and try to shore up the bullpen at the deadline, as well as adding an impact bat at 3B or 1B. That alone will get them in the playoffs and past the wildcard round and into the division series. I like this team in a final four situation in the NL. Only team I think we have zero chance against is Atlanta. Regardless of what happens the rest of 2023, I am excited about the future of the Cubs!
Sell only!
They might make the playoffs but will not make the World Series, so sell off key players and let the kids play!
Oh, please fire Ross after the season!
Trade Stroman he’s struggling to get through 4 innings
Excellent example of why comment sections are useless. Every baseball player goes through slumps.
Interesting takes on this thread but I disagree with a lot of them.
1.) the Cubs can pitch with anyone, the top three of Stroman (all-star)
Steele (all-star)
Hendricks (sub 3.5 era)
Is as good as any in the league. Taillon has pitched significantly better since facing the Yankees and is sporting an era under three in four starts in July. Cubs really need an additional starter as depth.
2.) they can hit with anyone. They lack a true middle of the line up hitter to protect Bellinger and deepen the line up but the on base, contact approach has worked well. The Cubs only stumbled when Ross, like an idiot, stopped playing small ball and wanted the hitters to lean on the home run.
The bullpen has been better but still not great. The Cubs record in one run games can make you sick to your stomach but ultimately, aside from 1 terrible month, the Cubs have played .500 or better ball.
The Cubs have a clear needs, a middle of the order type hitter, an additional starter and a solid reliever. Assuming the Cubs buy, Wesneski resumes his role in relief where he’s been very good. I think the Cubs need to bite the bullet and bring Brown in as a reliever this season.
I still think the Cubs should trade Stroman and trade for someone with more control. If the plan isn’t to bring him back, then don’t lose him for nothing and don’t throw away this season either.
Bellinger should be a natural extension candidate/re-sign target. Let PCA stay in the minors for a bit longer while we figure everything else out. Bellingers been a great team player, picking up first base despite being the better defender in center. The Cubs can play him in center, move him to first or right field. Suzuki has a NTC but isn’t unmovable in the future. Especially if his role in Chicago is reduced to fourth outfielder.
I hope the Cubs stand pat and make no trades. I hate it when a club blows up the clubhouse at mid season when many of them are starting to come together.
I read Bellinger could be had for a couple of minor league outfielders. First, the Cubs don’t need any outfields. In the minors they are loaded with PCA and K. Alcantara at the top. Second, the Cubs are not trading Bellinger because they are in contention for a playoff spot. As for Stroman, he got a blister on his pitching finger. It is believed to have affected his pitches and hopefully will be corrected. There is no big sell-off happening in Chicago like in the Covid-19 days. Period
If the Cubs are buyers they should also consider handing on extensions to Stroman and Bellinger.
1B bat and a bullpen arm or two. That division is within reach.