The Chicago Cubs may no longer be torn between buying or selling at the July 31 trade deadline.
In a span of two weeks, the Cubs have lost 11 straight games -- their longest skid since 2012 -- and dropped 8.5 games back of first place in the NL Central standings. Back on June 24, the day they threw a combined no-hitter at Dodger Stadium, Chicago was tied atop the division with a 42-33 record.
"This is the most amazing streaks season I've ever seen where, in 11 days, they're out of it. That rarely happens," Hall of Fame pitcher and MLB Network analyst John Smoltz told the Tiki and Tierney show on Wednesday. "You have to have a team win 11 and you lose 11, and that's what happened with the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs. So, a little sigh of relief, in a weird way, if you're the Cubs' GM [in Jed Hoyer], because now you can start focusing on trying to get the most you can with the situation they're dealt with.
"When you hang on this long with great players and you know you're not going to be able to re-sign them, then you're going to have to figure out the best version of whatever you can get back. It is what it is for the Cubs, and I think they have some definite hot pieces that could bring back some intriguing pieces for the future. The Cubs have not developed young pitching in a long time. That's why you run into gaps in baseball..."
Cubs star infielders Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and Javier Baez -- who have combined to slash .250/.325/.476 with 47 home runs, 37 doubles, and 131 RBI -- are slated to hit free agency following this season. Chicago could also move veteran closer Craig Kimbrel, who owns a 0.59 ERA with 20 saves in 32 appearances and has a $16 million club/vesting option for 2022.
According to FiveThirtyEight.com, the Cubs are currently projected to finish the regular season in third place with 81 wins. They have a 12-percent chance of reaching the postseason, an 8-percent chance of winning the division, and less than a 1-percent chance of winning the World Series.
The entire MLB conversation between Smoltz and Tiki and Tierney can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Tiki and Tierney Show on Twitter @TikiAndTierney and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.