Hail Mary idea to fix the Cubs' offense just had cold water poured on it

I don't know how else to say this: there is no hero riding in on a white horse to carry the Chicago Cubs' offense to victory. It's on the guys in the room to fix this team's shortcomings. That means more from Seiya Suzuki, Alex Bregman, Dansby Swanson and the likes - not a superstar-level trade deadline acquisition.

There is still the possibility the Cubs push for a high-end starting pitcher, but as Jed Hoyer made very clear recently, for that to even be a possibility, this group needs to start playing better. Heading into this week's series against the Colorado Rockies, Chicago is searching for its first series win since early May, a stretch that coincides with the team's recent free-fall in the standings.

But if you think there's a plug-and-play option out there on the trade market that the Cubs would also meet the asking price on, you're sorely mistaken. And the simple fact is that players of that caliber are rarely traded - and that seems to be the case with Houston Astros' stars Jeremy Pena and Yordan Alvarez.

“We’ve had zero discussions about trading Jeremy Peña (or) Yordan Alvarez internally,” Brown told reporters “We’ve had zero conversations. So we can’t go trading two pillars. Both those guys hit at the top of our lineup.”

A Yordan Alvarez trade is a fun thought exercise - but nothing more

I'm sure the vast majority of Cubs fans wouldn't mind plugging Jeremy Peña in at shortstop given how poorly Swanson has played this year. But with three-plus years left on his deal, the Cubs aren't about to move on from their Gold Glove infielder, regardless of his struggles at the plate.

The bigger name, Alvarez, is an intriguing idea but, as Brown noted, he's the face of the franchise and the biggest needle-mover in that lineup. Under team control through 2028, he's got tremendous value, but Houston never views itself as sellers - and that appears to again be the case. The slugger is putting up MVP-caliber numbers this season, hitting .311 with an AL-best 22 home runs and 48 RBI. Trading him could bring back an absolutely ludicrous return and, frankly, even if he was being shopped, Chicago doesn't have the pieces to pull off such a blockbuster.

The Astros aren't moving him, Hoyer and the Cubs' front office know the only way to fix the offense is to get better production from the same guys who have been so disappointing of late. So put this daydream to bed, Cubs fans. Neither Alvarez (nor Peña) are coming to bail this team out at the deadline.

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