Craig Counsell's harsh truth should set new expectations for Cubs fans

In the wake of Chicago Cubs' ace Justin Steele going down with a season-ending injury, fans are clamoring for the team to swing a big trade for a starting pitcher. But this is not the time of year when these deals happen, as manager Craig Counsell reminded fans on Tuesday during an interview with 670 the Score.

Counsell was asked about the team's starting pitching plans during the Spiegel & Holmes show, where he iterated that the Cubs will be forced to lean on their depth for the time being because big trades are not going to happen right now.

"There are trades made, but they're not going to be the big trades. That's just not what happens at this time of year. This is why you build depth in the offseason because things like this happen."

This sentiment is especially true given the type of pitcher the Cubs need to acquire. Steele was the team's ace, and the Cubs could have used another workhorse starter even before he got hurt. These types of players, a starter you can slot into the middle or top of a rotation, are extremely valuable, and the teams who have them are going to keep them until the last minute to leverage more value.

The July 31st trade deadline is when this will happen. Pitching is always a hot commodity at the trade deadline as competing teams usually look to bolster their staff for the final months and the playoffs. Teams like the Miami Marlins, Minnesota Twins, and potentially the Toronto Blue Jays will want to hold their players until the trade deadline to start a bidding war for their pitchers. This will get them the most value out of a trade.

If Jed Hoyer somehow convinced the Marlins to give him former Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara in April, he would have to offer them a significant overpay. This is clearly not worth it right now because, to Counsell's point, the Cubs amassed a decent amount of pitching depth in the offseason to weather this kind of storm until July.

Colin Rea will slot into the starting rotation for now, and Javier Assad will likely take the long-relief/spot starter job when he returns from injury. Jordan Wicks, Connor Noland, and Chris Flexen are the depth options in Triple-A Iowa, with top pitching prospect Cade Horton also in the mix in a doomsday scenario. The Steele situation isn't ideal, but the Cubs will have to lean on their depth and see how the trade market unfolds later this summer.