(670 The Score) Just less than two weeks ago, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer was fielding calls from rival executives who expected Chicago would be buyers leading up to the trade deadline on July 30.
A recent 11-game losing streak and rapid descent in the NL Central race has changed the entire dynamic for the Cubs.
“I’ve always said you try not to look at the standings too much,” Hoyer told reporters before the Cubs hosted the Phillies on Thursday. “You have to look at what kind of baseball you’re playing. We came off an 11-game losing streak. Listen, we’ve believed in these guys since 2015. They’ve had a ton of success, and I would never count these guys out. But 11 days ago, we were fully on the buy side of this transaction and everyone was calling about that. And obviously now, people are calling to see which players are available.
So it’s a very different scenario than we expected. You know, life comes at you fast. Eleven days ago, this is not where we were mentally. Obviously, 11 games certainly changes a lot of things.”
Before an 8-3 win against the Phillies on Wednesday, the Cubs had lost 11 straight games. That slide has dropped them to 8.5 games behind the NL Central-leading Brewers and pointed their direction toward being sellers ahead of the trade deadline.
Star closer Craig Kimbrel is viewed across MLB as the Cubs’ best trade chip and one of the most coveted players on the market, given his dominance with a 0.57 ERA this season and the fact that his contract includes a team option for 2022.
Infielder/outfielder Kris Bryant, shortstop Javier Baez, first baseman Anthony Rizzo, outfielder Joc Pederson and a few others besides Kimbrel in the bullpen are also potential Cubs trade candidates.
With the likes of Bryant, Baez and Rizzo set to be free agents at season's end among many others, Hoyer was asked about whether the Cubs' next phase would be considered a rebuild. He doesn't view the Cubs' outlook from that perspective, going as far as to say, "That label is certainly something to be avoided."
"We are going to have roster turnover," Hoyer said, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago. "That was inevitable ... This is certainly not a rebuild by any kind of definition that we'd be using from our past."