Chicago Cubs: recent history suggests big trade deadline move may not happen

The Chicago Cubs have lost three games in a row following their late-inning collapse against the Athletics on Wednesday night. What is worse, they have now lost eight consecutive games at home in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field. At one point, they had won 15 consecutive home games; but now, winning has become a rare thing on the north side of Chicago.

Since winning their tenth-consecutive game back on May 8 (for the second time this year), the Cubs have the worst record in Major League Baseball at 5-18.

Starting pitching has been a major concern, mostly due to the plethora of injuries the staff has suffered. And while many presume they will add a big-name at the MLB trade deadline, fans should not expect it to happen.

The Chicago Cubs do not like giving up prospects in mid-season trades

Matthew Boyd is currently on rehab assignment and expected back soon. Edward Cabrera is returning from the injured list this weekend, too. But the fact remains that Chicago is going to be without Cade Horton for the rest of this season, and most of next year too. Additionally, Justin Steele had a set-back in his recovery and is going to be out longer.

Unfortunately, Shota Imanaga has struggled following his solid start the season. Colin Rea has been good, but for some reason Counsell does not allow him to stay in games for very long.

All this to say that the Cubs are consistently named as a team that will be looking to add a big name starter at the MLB trade deadline. However, ESPN’s recent power rankings, which saw Chicago ranked 12th, warns that a big mid-season addition is not something the Cubs are known for:

“Manager Craig Counsell’s rotation ranks 24th in ERA, 29th in average fastball velocity and 20th in strikeouts per nine innings. The production has been greatly affected by injuries to Cade Horton and others, of course, but the clear need for the Cubs leading up to the trade deadline will be starting pitching.

“Presumably, they’ll be sorting through the names emerging in speculation: Tarik Skubal, Sandy Alcantara, Freddy Peralta, Joe Ryan, Robbie Ray, etc. It’s worth noting: The Cubs’ recent history shows that they aren’t willing to make acquisitions high in prospect cost midseason.”

As one can see above, there is doubt among baseball insiders that the Cubs will part with the top prospects necessary to land a big-name starter during the season. This past off-season, they landed Cabrera in a big trade by sending out several of their best prospects, but that was before Spring Training.

Tarik Skubal is coming off of surgery to remove floating bodies in his arm and will be a free agent at the end of the year. While many fans would love to see him in a Cubs uniform, the bidding war for the two-time AL Cy Young winner will be intense.

Freddy Peralta makes some sense given his history with Counsell, but he too will be a free agent at the end of the year and probably would be nothing more than a rental.

That being said, he won’t demand the same kind of prospect return as Skubal.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

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