CHICAGO (670 The Score) -- Should they stay or should they go?
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer must answer that question as he forms a firm decision on whether his ballclub will be buying or selling prior to the Major League Baseball Aug. 1 trade deadline.
"The phones have been ringing today " Hoyer said Friday prior to the Cubs’ series opener with the Red Sox at Wrigley Field. "Obviously, we aren't going to make any trades today, We will see where we are and assess how we play the next two weeks. I don't want this to be a day-to-day assessment thing but it's that time of year in baseball. We need to make up ground on first place, and we need to make up ground on .500.
The trading deadline is fast approaching and the improving Cubs are causing the front office to think twice about competing for a division title or wildcard berth. The Cubs, who entered Friday at 42-47, trail for first place in the NL Central by seven games – and are behind six games for the third NL wild-card spot.
The Cubs have intriguing potential trade assets in starters Marcus Stroman, Kyle Hendricks and Drew Smyly, plus outfielder Cody Bellinger and several more. But the players in the Cubs’ clubhouse believe in their opportunity to contend and win this season.
“There is nothing we want more than to add," Hoyer said. "But if we are in a position of saying that is not the right bet to make, then we will pivot. There are some early deals that get done but by and large you expect the moves to be fairly late.The volume intensity will begin to pick up as we get into the final week (of July)."
The Cubs have hope courtesy of a wild-open NL Central race, plus 27 more games against divisional foes. In 2022, the Cubs finished 39-31 after the All-Star break.
Hoyer’s decision on whether to buy or sell is made more difficult by the fact the Cubs’ rotation is one of the most solid units in the league.
"These decisions are really hard," Hoyer said. "We want to do nothing but play really well over the next two weeks. You are asking the questions about us selling but the decisions are really hard this time of year whether you are buyers or sellers, it’s a complicated time of year and there are a number of team that are in similar positions. I think a lot will play out in baseball over this time to see where teams are and making the best estimate of that."
The Cubs must finish with a record of 40-33 to end the season with a winning record. Is that a realistic number of wins to make a run for it?
Only Hoyer can answer that question now. He sees the next two weeks as a critical evaluation period for the Cubs’ direction moving forward.
"We have had a lot of internal talk during the break,'' Hoyer said. "I will not give you our exact criteria but we are trying to make decisions in the best educated way possible. We don't want to use emotion or one day’s loss or one day’s win to dictate the direction. That is the most important thing. We do need to make up ground first and make up ground on .500.
"You do try and study trends from past seasons during this time. You look and see how much this decision and that decision really affect a teams play and results. We are making decisions based on this year, but obviously you want to learn from the past. We try to keep learning what other teams have done in similar positions. How much those decisions swung their odds in different ways. There is not just one way for a club to run a deadline. The important thing is to be clear headed and decisive when you make the decisions."
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