With today’s MLB Trade Deadline on the horizon, the Cubs already made a more significant deal than they did at last year’s deadline. Kevin Gausman adds velocity, poise, and experience to a thin playoff rotation. Nothing beats seeing your team earn reinforcements from the front office! The Cubs believe in their squad; more trades are loading.
The Cubs made a statement in St. Louis against a Cardinals team hanging around in the Wild Card race. They won 3 of 4 and should have swept the series. A Dustin May and Matthew Boyd pitchers’ duel went scoreless into extra innings when Pete Crow-Armstrong hit an emphatic 2-R HR in the 10th to take the lead. Trent Thornton gave up 3 runs in just 4 batters to give the game away. Then the wounded Yankees came to Wrigley Field with a run-scoring problem and stole 2 of 3 in Chicago. A 3-for-21 showing with RISP ruined dominant performances by the Cubs pitching staff who gave up 6 runs in the entire series. Nico Hoerner and Alex Bregman caught fire in St. Louis with an unbelievable combined stat line of 18-for-33 (.545 AVG), 6 2B, 2 HR, 9 RBI.
Kevin Gausman is a Chicago Cub! Their 13th and 21st ranked prospects, INF Ty Southisene and OF Brett Bateman, were sent to the Toronto Blue Jays to acquire the rental starter. This should be the first of multiple trades, and Gausman is a way bigger fish than expected to start the festivities. He throws in the mid-90s, his fastball ranks 8th in MLB (FRV via Statcast), and his splitter is electric. His stuff alone sets him apart from the rest of the Cubs rotation. Adding 14 years of experience and 14 playoff appearances to a contending team will also benefit the clubhouse! Reports say the Cubs want to add 3 pitchers at the deadline. Will they find a closer? Will controllable starters actually be moved this year? Do they have a blockbuster move up their sleeve?
Adding Gausman to this roster is the first sign that the Cubs believe in their position player group. We will all ride or die with the offense. In a season where Nico Hoerner has underperformed, Alex Bregman went missing after signing his big contract, Moises Ballesteros never found his groove and went back to AAA, and everyone else rode the wave of extreme hills and valleys, the lineup is one of the best in baseball. They’re 1st in fWAR (23.9), 3rd in wRC+ (110), 1st in BB% (10.9), and they have a historically good defense (53 FRV).
They will most likely add more arms, which is a necessity for a deep playoff run this year. But no matter who they throw on the bump, the Cubs will go if their offense goes. As we saw this week, they’re still prone to an occasional vanishing act. 4-3 was a massive disappointment when the pre-deadline rotation gave them these starts:
5.2 IP - 2 ER, 6.0 IP - 1 ER, 7.0 IP - 0 ER, 4.1 IP - 1 ER, 6.2 IP - 2 ER, 6.1 IP - 1 ER, 6.0 IP - 2 ER
Either the lineup will catch a heater and slug their way past the elite October starters or they’ll land in another rut. Or PCA will put the team on his back for a few games. We don’t know how the lineup will fare under the playoff lights, but I’m pumped to see the front office giving them a chance to shine.
Wrigley will be rocking after the conclusion of the deadline with the league-wide villain Dodgers in town. The Cubs will unfortunately face newly acquired Dodger Tarik Skubal but are actually catching the Dodgers at the right time since they have lost 5 of their last 7 games. Kevin Gausman may immediately pitch in a revenge game in a 1-game makeup vs. the Blue Jays on Thursday, and then the Cubs head to Kansas City for a soft ending to the week.
What is the Cubs' biggest need before the trade deadline?
Training camp practices are in full swing, and the offense is expectedly lighting it up. We’ve never seen a Bears offense functioning at a high level and carving up the defense this early on in training camp…until now. The trio of Colston Loveland, Luther Burden, and Rome Odunze is the real deal!
First preseason game is September 19th!
Patrick Kane’s return to Chicago has me dreaming up line combinations when Connor Bedard makes his season debut. I want to see Kane and Bedard on the same line, but Kane mentioned splitting forces like he did with Jonathan Toews back in the day. I could see them rolling with Kantserov-Bedard-Kane, Nazar-Frondell-Kane, or Bertuzzi-Nazar-Kane. Regardless of where they land, their offensive floor will be much higher!
First preseason game is October 7th!
Colston Loveland will finish in the Top 5 in receiving TDs this season.
Loveland burst onto the scene late in his rookie season, and he quickly became Caleb Williams’ favorite target. He was targeted 10+ times in each of his last 4 games (including the playoffs) and finished with 6 TDs on the year.
Luther Burden may be the talk of the town right now with all-world potential, but Loveland is the most surefire member of the Bears’ 2025 draft class. We saw Ben Johnson build the offense around him in win-or-go-home games, and he dominated those defenses. Whether it was his pinball miracle vs. the Bengals or his sneaky 2-point conversion against the Packers, he was a legitimate scoring threat whenever he was on the field.
Only 7 players in the NFL caught 10+ TDs last season. He can easily surpass that mark in an offense that will operate much smoother in Ben Johnson’s second season. We know he wants to use 2 and 3 tight end sets and relies on the running game to get down the field. The 6’6” first round pick is the perfect red zone target. Loveland’s training camp is off to a great start; his season will be an all-timer.
Ian Happ and Nico Hoerner
After Jameson Taillon was DFA’d, both players talked about how it was a difficult day for them on a personal and professional level. Taillon is their friend, and they talked up his uplifting presence in the clubhouse since joining the Cubs. He was definitely an underrated Cub who became a stalwart in the rotation, so it was encouraging to see him get some love.
