5 Chicago Cubs MLB trade deadline chips whose value is plummeting

The ever-widening gap between the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs in the National League Central has grown to chasmic proportions, with David Ross’ club falling 9 1/2 games out following Monday’s disheartening loss to St. Louis.

We’re now just 10 days from the July 30 deadline – a date Cubs fans have had circled on their calendar in pencil for months and red Sharpie for the last few weeks, following the team’s 11-game losing streak that took them from buyers to sellers. There’s just one problem. In the Cubs’ struggles, we’ve seen several potential trade chips lose value with poor play.

Chicago Cubs trade chips whose trade value is plummeting: #1 – Kris Bryant

Don’t get me wrong. Kris Bryant is still going to net a solid return when Chicago trades him in the next week-plus. A four-time All-Star, former Rookie of the Year and MVP and a plus bat capable of playing five positions? That’s valuable no matter how you slice it. But when you break down Bryant’s performance this season, it’s been a real Jekyll and Hyde-type showing thus far.

He still boasts a 127 OPS+ but that number is largely buoyed by his early-season performance. In April, he put up an MVP-caliber 1.078 OPS and followed it up in May with an almost-as-impressive .961 mark. Then, the bottom fell out for Bryant, who hit .114 with a .205 OBP in the month of June. It’s no coincidence the Cubs’ free-fall aligned almost perfectly with his struggles.

The former first-rounder has bounced back in July, but only to a degree. Through the first three weeks of the month, he’s batted .286/.333/.429 – hardly a poor showing, but definitely not what he did early on. After smacking 12 home runs through the end of May, Bryant has just four since.

Like I said, he’s still valuable for a lot of reasons. But he’s definitely not nearly as valuable as he would have been had the Cubs shopped him at the end of May, when he was a legitimate threat to bring home the second MVP honors of his career.

Chicago Cubs trade chips whose trade value is plummeting: #2 – Ryan Tepera

For the first couple months of the season, it was the Ryan Tepera show on the North Side. The 33-year-old reliever was a go-to arm in the bullpen of David Ross and he answered the call no matter the situation.

Really, it was the month of May that put Tepera on the map as a potential trade chip for Chicago. He won NL Reliever of the Month honors, thanks to a sterling 0.61 ERA in 14 appearances – during which he put up an unbelievable 0.205 WHIP. Everyone was talking about the resurgence of Craig Kimbrel, but watching Tepera in May, it actually made me think he could be a short-term successor should Kimbrel be traded.

But since the calendar turned to June, Tepera hasn’t been the same guy and Ross has gone to him sparingly – to disastrous results. Last month, he was a disaster before the Cubs put him on the injured list. If for nothing else, that move got the guy some much-needed rest.

We can hope that what we’ve seen in very limited July action (two appearances, three Ks, 1 2/3 innings of work) is a sign of resurgence from the righty because, whether or not Chicago winds up moving him, he’s got a chance to bring value to this team down the stretch this season.

I’d say it’s far likelier Chicago holds onto Tepera right now given the IL stint and lack of work lately, instead trading guys like Kimbrel and left-hander Andrew Chafin. 

Chicago Cubs trade chips whose trade value is plummeting: #3 – Javier Baez

Now we don’t know for certain that Javier Baez is demanding a $200 million contract, but that’s the latest on the rumor mill – and it almost guarantees the end of his time in Chicago in my opinion.

That’s not to say he’ll be dealt ahead of the July 30 deadline, but it’s hard to envision any type of scenario where Jed Hoyer and Tom Ricketts feel comfortable shelling out that kind of money to a player who, while one of the most exciting and marketable in the game, is wildly inconsistent and strikes out more than any other player in baseball.

If you need proof of that, look no further than Monday’s game in St. Louis, when Baez made several… questionable defensive decisions and turned in an 0-for-3 showing at the plate with a pair of strikeouts, raising his league-leading total to 123 on the year.

Doing the math at home? That means Baez is now striking out 37.3 percent of the time – his highest mark since his rookie season back in 2015. But even then, he walked in 6.6 percent of his trips to the plate. Meanwhile, in 2021, he’s drawn a free pass only 4.2 percent of the time.

There are all kinds of potential fits out there for the superstar shortstop – namely the New York Mets, who need help in the wake of the Francisco Lindor injury. And there’s a good chance Baez is still moved – but how to value him remains one of the biggest questions in the game right now.

Chicago Cubs trade chips whose trade value is plummeting: #5 – Jake Marisnick

Once the Cubs traded Joc Pederson, I can’t tell you how many people I heard criticizing Jed Hoyer for ‘folding’ on his one substantive move of last winter. Meanwhile, I’m sitting over here thinking that getting value for a guy on a one-year deal when you know you probably aren’t going to the postseason makes an awful lot of sense.

Literally every single player I’ve mentioned on this list is in their final year of team control. This final guy is no exception in Jake Marisnick, a veteran outfielder who has always been known more for his speed and base running abilities than anything else.

During the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, though, it looked like something finally clicked for Marisnick at the dish, as he batted .333/.353/.606 in a small sample size before going down for the year with an injury. Chicago swooped in this offseason looking to capitalize on it and add to its outfield depth and, early on, it worked out well.

He put up an OPS north of .800 in April and was hot in May, too, before hitting the shelf with another injury. Since June 7, his first game back, Marisnick has been brutal at the plate, slashing .183/.227/.283 in 66 plate appearances. At that point, it doesn’t matter what you can do on the bases – you’re not bringing much to the table on a legitimate contender, outside of maybe being a Terrence Gore-style runner late in games.

I expect the Cubs to be busy ahead of July 30 no matter what; but if these guys can turn things around in the next week, the front office might be able to get just a little bit more as the next era of Chicago Cubs baseball begins to take shape.