If you’re looking for something to read today, consider checking out Matthew Trueblood’s latest article over at North Side Baseball. In his sober look at the Cubs, underscored by a depressing contrast to the Brewers’ current situation, Trueblood does a pretty good job of explaining what needs to happen next for this team as the calendar turns to July, which in turn sets up a topic I want to talk about today.
Here is a little excerpt from Trueblood:
“It would be excruciating for the Cubs’ decision-makers to have to embark on another rebuild, but they would be foolish not to sell — and sell aggressively — before the end of the month. That would require a lot of proactivity and intelligence, and it’s not clear that Hoyer is any more capable of that than he is of building a winning team. His only successful sales have been, ultimately, reactive, and despite the poor standings, they should be proactive.”
Yeah.
Seven games below .500, five games out of a playoff spot (behind six teams), and 11 The Cubs simply have no choice but to start planning sales at the 2024 MLB trade deadline. That’s what needs to happen.
Unfortunately, unlike some of the other sales deadlines we’ve covered in the past, This The team wasn’t really built to sell. The Cubs didn’t go into the season knowing they were going to be bad—or even that there was a good chance they would be—by settling for one-year deals for players they could sell at the deadline. Nearly every player even remotely tradeable is under contract or control beyond this season. And the bullpen, where you can normally always find relievers to trade, is an absolute disaster with barely a single obvious tradeable player.
But I don’t think it has to be that way. Like Trueblood, I think the Cubs could You have to extract some trade value from this list. It’s going to be tough. Because when you go through it one by one, most of the players are either not obvious trade candidates or have big asterisks next to their potential value.
MLB Trade Deadline – Cubs Tradeability
(1B) Michael Busch – The Cubs just traded Michael Busch this offseason, and he’s actually their best hitter. He’s young, he plays a position of need, he’s left-handed, he’s got power, and he’s under team control through 2029. He’s not “untouchable,” because no one should be. But it’s hard to imagine the Cubs would trade him now.
(2B) Nico Hoerner – While Hoerner is just over a year away from signing an extension with the Cubs, I think he’s actually a pretty solid trade candidate in a world where the Cubs are really trying to sell. He plays Gold Glove defense at second base, he can cover shorts, he’s a roughly league-average hitter, he steals bases, etc. You know who Nico Hoerner is. With James Triantos, Matt Shaw, Michael Busch, and even Christopher Morel all theoretically capable of playing second base now or in the near future, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Cubs listened to offers for Hoerner (in fact, the speculation has already started). He’s under control for 2.5 more years, making $11.5 million next year and $12 million in 2026.
(SS) Dansby Swanson – He is too expensive in the long term and does not play well enough to be a realistic transfer candidate.
(3B) Christophe Morel – He was in high demand in the offseason, but I really don’t see the Cubs trading him now, with his value arguably lower than ever. The combination of high upside potential, cheap long-term control, terrible track record (despite promise under the hood) and a lack of a true defensive position makes trading Morel right now a bad idea.
(LF) Ian Happ – Happ, 29, is having one of his typical seasons (121 wRC+, 1.5 WAR, 11 HRs) and has been particularly healthy for six-plus weeks (153 wRC+, 10 HRs). But he has a no-trade clause after a recent extension. He’s also more expensive than an arbitration-level player, making $20 million this year and next, then $18 million in 2026. I think he has some value (especially if the Cubs eat money), and the Cubs have outfield prospects to try soon, but the contract and no-trade clause are two tough hurdles to overcome.
(CF) Pete Crow-Armstrong – I don’t think the Cubs are going to trade PCA. His offensive production hasn’t materialized yet, but we’ve all seen what he can do in center field and on the bases. He’s only 22. Barring an unexpected deal, he’s not going anywhere. And he shouldn’t.
(CF II) Cody Bellinger – The Cubs would likely be happy to trade Bellinger, and he’s already on the radar of the Yankees (who wanted him last season) and possibly the Rangers (?). However, his offensive decline, lack of power, and player options for the next two seasons make him a tough sell. But then again, he’s a big name, plays all three outfield positions well, can fill first base, and is already attracting interest. I don’t want to underestimate how much of a hurdle player options represent to getting meaningful value in return in a trade.
(RF) Seiya Suzuki – By the numbers, Suzuki has had a good season (122 wRC+, 10 HRs) — and he’s even better since May 23 (136 wRC+). But I don’t really see the Cubs getting adequate value for him in any deal because of his streaks, poor defense, and injury history. Plus, I think the Cubs are trying to build and maintain a strong connection to the NPB (for when other Japanese stars become available). It’s not just about not having Suzuki around, mind you. It’s also about maintaining goodwill and a good reputation with these players/this league. Oh, and Suzuki isn’t cheap ($20M this season, $18M in 2025 and again in 2026). And, of course, he has a no-trade clause. I don’t see a Suzuki trade as a non-starter, I just have a hard time imagining a trade for him realistically this month.
(VS) Tomas Nido and Miguel Amaya – Midseason receiver trades are rare. And they’re for guys who are good. Don’t count on a Nido or Amaya trade. It’s not going to happen. There’s almost nothing to gain.
(Bench) David Bote, Miles Mastrobuoni (Nick Madrigal), Patrick Wisdom, Mike Tauchman – If healthy, Mike Tauchman could have some real trade value. Nothing substantial, but not zero. Patrick Wisdom’s power on the right side isn’t totally worthless either. So you can put those guys in the “Sure, they’re available, but they’re probably not that attractive” group. The rest? I mean, sure, but whatever.
(Relevators’ enclosure) Anybody He could be traded, but no one stands out. I’m not sure there’s any value here. The Cubs really need someone healthy in the next month, preferably Hector Neris or Mark Leiter Jr. to take advantage of a reliever trade for even a modest return. But really, I could see anyone being traded if the right offer came along. No reason to be valuable here, and relievers are always in demand. I just wish the Cubs had better relievers to trade.
(ESP) Justin Steele – Steele might be the Cubs’ most marketable asset. Everyone always wants a starting pitcher, and Steele has been very good for a while now. He’s also young, under control, and pitching well right now. I desperately hope the Cubs do NOT trade Steele, because that would be a very bad sign for next season, depending on the return. Unlike Hoerner’s position, where prospects/other major leaguers are ready to replace him, replacing Steele would be much more difficult. Steele is under team control through 2027 via arbitration.
(ESP) Shota Imanaga – Shota is probably in high demand, but I really don’t see the Cubs trading a Japanese star pitcher (with a complicated contract) they just signed six months ago. It’s like my Suzuki argument above, but to an even greater degree.
(ESP) Jameson Taillon – I think the Cubs would be happy to trade Jameson Taillon, who is having a pretty solid season overall: 3.03 ERA over 13 starts and 74.1 innings. He’s not cheap ($17 million AAV and under control through 2026), but if there’s a team in need of a starter and looking for someone to stabilize the back end of its rotation, Taillon isn’t a bad target.
(ESP) Kyle Hendricks – Hendricks is coming off a 10-5 record without trade rights and despite a brief rebound, he hasn’t been pitching well this season. If he keeps this up until the deadline, sure, he could be traded. But I don’t see it happening that way.
(SP) Javier Assad and Ben Brown The Cubs are unlikely to trade. The Cubs should not sell cheap, effective, likely underrated, controllable major league players at the trade deadline.
So… when we say “this team wasn’t built to sell,” I hope you see what we mean by now. Unless you’re willing to trade Justin Steele, there aren’t many obvious, easily traded/exciting assets. Everyone either has long-term contracts, no-trade clauses, or a bad first half of the season under their belt. And there aren’t any obvious tradeable relievers, the easiest asset to trade at the deadline.
But in the end, there is nothing. Ian Happ, Jameson Taillon, Nico Hoerner, Mike Tauchman and choose a lifter represent a tradable asset of every position class. Jed Hoyer will just have to get creative.