Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer has not shied away from the media when talking about his team’s approach at the MLB trade deadline. After all, the team is 44-28 and just 1.5 games back from the top record in all of baseball (the Detroit Tigers at 46-27).
But a banged-up and struggling starting rotation, and a continuous need to improve to stay at the top of the standings, has put Hoyer in a situation where the general feeling among analysts is that he must be aggressive at the trade deadline.
ESPN’s Buster Olney is one of those analysts. In fact, Olney has named Hoyer among six other MLB executives under the most pressure at the trade deadline.
“The question for Hoyer is not whether the Cubs will make the playoffs (their playoff chances, per FanGraphs, is 88.5%), but what will make them more dangerous in the meaningful games they’re bound to play at the end of the season,” Olney said.
Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer speaks to the media during the MLB General Manager’s Meetings at Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa.
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
So then, how do they address the need to become more dangerous? Olney named three starting pitchers who could help put Chicago over the top.
The Baltimore Orioles‘ Zach Eflin, who is 6-2 with a 4.08 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP, but is 31 years old, was named as an “upgrade” to Ben Brown and Colin Rea.
But the Arizona Diamondbacks‘ Merrill Kelly was described as a “perfect fit,” while Zac Gallen was listed as another option. Kelly has a 3.41 ERA in a team-leading 87 innings pitched.
However, Olney says there may be one crucial roadblock to getting a deal done for a player considered to be a star or at least a major upgrade.
“The Cubs’ payroll is well under the luxury tax threshold — 12th highest in the majors… Rival evaluators wonder if Cubs ownership will green-light the sort of pricey acquisition that could help this team compete for its second title in the past decade,” Olney said.
One positive: Hoyer has previously been allowed to make big trades that have brought in multiple players who are now key pieces to the team.
