Chicago Cubs: Would deadline deal for Manny Machado have saved us?

Chicago Cubs: Would Machado have impacted other big moments?

The Cubs had more than a five-game lead at various points after acquiring Daniel Murphy. It seemed, to everyone, that lead in the division was quite comfortable (and maintainable). Could it have been more well-protected with a few more wins in early August with a Machado infusion?

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However, one thing that’s impossible to account for is what happens with Javier Baez or David Bote (who had some pretty big moments and a lot of production in July and early August).  Would they have been the same players? Would Javy have played short or second? I’m not sure the move would have made much of a difference in late July or early August before we acquired Murphy.  Bote hit .385 between July 4 and Aug. 15.

People were seriously questioning if we should get rid of Kris Bryant because Bote was so hot.  If we got Machado and he played third, would Bote have gotten a shot when we had Ben Zobrist, Tommy LaStella and Ian Happ to play second base in the absence of Addison Russell?

We all know the answer.

The only real reason Bote was able to play as much as he did was because the injury to Bryant and the injury and poor play of Addison Russell left two spots open on the infield.