Five moves the Chicago Cubs must make to have a chance

Forget the upcoming trade deadline. If the Chicago Cubs don’t make at least some of the following moves, their season may end in a self-inflicted manner.

There’s nothing to quell any optimism about the Chicago Cubs like going out and opening a nine-game road trip with another late-inning letdown. It really puts the pep in your step and makes you want to get out of bed the next morning.

Chicago continued its horrendous road play on Monday night, dropping a 5-4 decision to the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. San Francisco’s three-run eighth inning overshadowed Robel Garcia‘s early shot into McCovey Cove or Kyle Schwarber‘s tank into the right-field seats. No one will talk about those moments. Instead, the usual cast of characters will steal the show.

Albert Almora failed to come up with a ball in the eighth that proved costly – you can debate whether or not he should’ve made a play on it, but given his offensive performance to-date, he basically has to catch anything within a country mile to give any degree of reasonable value.

Oh, and the man on the mound in that fateful eighth? You guessed it – Pedro Strop, the team’s longtime bullpen anchor who hasn’t been able to string together quality outings for quite some time. Again, the team’s bullpen shortcomings were on full display in the loss.

So while we’re all clamoring for an impact bat that will crush lefty pitching (I’m talking, of course, about Nicholas Castellanos) or some shutdown arms to bridge the gap between the starters and closer Craig Kimbrel, perhaps we should back up a moment and consider these internal moves that must be made if this team wants to have any shot at the postseason in 2019.

Chicago Cubs: Quit doing nothing with Descalso and his roster spot

At this point, I don’t care what you do with Daniel Descalso. I totally understand and appreciate that he’s a strong clubhouse presence and brings a veteran aspect to this team. But you’re burning a roster spot – plain and simple.

“I don’t think people understand, but you can try to explain it,” Almora told The Athletic (sub required). “He’s a guy that when he’s in here, it’s a completely different clubhouse. It’s one of those things that people don’t know because they’re not a part of this. Baseball aside, he’s a leader on this team. He’s someone that I lean on, that I talk to a lot about baseball, about life, about being a professional. That can go a long way.”

Is leadership an important quality? Sure. You know what else is? The ability to hit a baseball.

Descalso has mustered a completely underwhelming .182/.280/.264 line to this point. Since he came back from his early-season injury, he’s been pretty much unusable to Joe Maddon. I mean, I can only imagine if Maddon trotted out Descalso with such bravado as he has Almora, Cubs Twitter might actually implode.

But how poorly Descalso is playing isn’t what bothers me most. It’s the fact that he’s not playing at all – crippling the team’s depth in the process. Since July 1, the veteran has five at-bats to his credit. He has a single and two strikeouts during that stretch.

He’s a leader, he’s a veteran and he’s everything the Cubs thought they needed. But either kick him to the IL or designate him for assignment. Letting his contract situation keep him on the roster when the team desperately needs more depth, especially at second base, is inexcusable.

Chicago Cubs: Let the past go – kill it if you have to

Let’s make something abundantly clear right now. Over the last half-decade plus, Pedro Strop has been the single most reliable reliever on this team. Period. End of discussion.

But it’s also perfectly clear that’s no longer the case. The right-hander has been torched this season and it’s not particularly difficult to see why, either. His velocity is down – whether that’s due to his age, lingering hamstring injuries or a combination of the two is up for debate. He’s missing – badly – with both his primary and secondary pitches, rendering what had been swing-and-miss stuff completely useless.

On the year, Strop carries a 5.47 ERA in 30 appearances. He’s been really shoddy lately, though. In his last seven games, he allowed seven runs on eight hits and two walks – over a stretch of just 6 2/3 frames.

In short, he’s been bad. Simple as that.

“He’s been there before,” Maddon said after Monday’s loss. “He’s been one of the best relievers in baseball for a reason. And one of the biggest reasons is he’s able to take a bad moment and throw it in the trash can fast. I expect him to be normal by (Tuesday).”

Regardless of whether or not Strop has a short memory – the time is way past for Maddon to shuffle the pecking order in the bullpen and go with someone like Steve Cishek or Brandon Kintzler as the team’s primary setup man.

Chicago Cubs: Contreras may be better served in the outfield

When the Cubs went out and traded for Martin Maldonado, the effect was two-fold. They unloaded a guy who, simply, didn’t want to be there anymore in Mike Montgomery and got a defensive-minded catcher to fill in for the injured Willson Contreras.

Maldonado isn’t going to impact many games with his bat – but he absolutely will with his glove. He’s a great framer who knows how to steal pitches on the edge and get his pitchers calls in big spots. But with Contreras nearing a return, how will the Cubs balance carrying three catchers?

More from Cubbies Crib

• Cubs starting pitching has been thriving on the North Side
• Make no mistake: the Cubs are very much about power hitters
• Cubs are giving pitcher Javier Assad a deserved shot
• Cubs: It’s time to start thinking about potential September call-ups
• Cubs: P.J. Higgins deserves to be in the lineup on a daily basis

Victor Caratini has been far better than I anticipated – especially offensively. You’re not going to take at-bats away from a switch-hitting backstop who’s played as well as he has. But with him playing well and Maldonado getting a lot of love since joining the team, what does that mean for the Cubs’ two-time All-Star backstop?

I wouldn’t be shocked to see Maddon utilize Contreras more in the corner outfield spots down the stretch – adding his potent bat to the mix and, in the process, keeping him fresh.

If theoretically, Almora is dropped and Heyward moves to center, Contreras could work in right field a few times a week and, hopefully, help power the Cubs to another division title.

I’m not saying this one has to happen – but it might be a way for the team to internally address their lack of offense from some of their outfield spots, thus dedicating their deadline resources to more pressing needs.

Chicago Cubs: Now is as good a time as any, I suppose

There’s no telling if Ian Happ‘s recent surge at Iowa will translate into meaningful adjustments at the big league level. You hope so, sure, but it’s an admittedly small sample size where he’s put up a much-improved line.

According to the Des Moines Register, Happ entered last Thursday’s contest hitting .327 in the month of July with a 1.076 OPS for the month of July. While his average has tailed off a bit over the weekend, the 24-year-old still boasts an impressive .439 OBP this month – with 16 walks to 18 strikeouts.

That last part is key – the Cubs sent Happ to Triple-A to drastically cut down on his strikeouts. And, at least lately, he’s done that. His improvement comes at a perfect time for one of two reasons. His trade value may be dramatically improved by that fact or he might be getting ready to make an impact on the big league club when they need it most.

Russell and Descalso have provided no value at second base – and the same can be said for Almora in center. Ian Happ, it just so happens, plays both of these positions. It’s hard saying whether or not the Cubs would tap their former first-round pick to come back and immediately be counted upon for a boost, but given the alternatives, they may not have much of a choice.