3 Chicago Cubs storylines to watch for during the second half of the season

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The second half of the Chicago Cubs 2023 season begins on Friday night as the team will host the Boston Red Sox at Wrigley Field.

Entering the second half of the season, the Cubs are five games under the .500 mark on the season and 7 games behind the Cincinnati Reds for first place in the National League Central Division.

Unlike the previous two seasons where it was clear that the Cubs were going to be sellers at the Major League Baseball Trade Deadline as they started the second half of the season, the Cubs, this season, are at a crossroads.

The belief is that the Cubs' front office wants to buy at the deadline but the team is in need of stringing together consistency on the field. The Cubs did go 4-3 on their final road trip of the first half as they split a four-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers and won a road series against the New York Yankees for the first time in franchise history.

The second half of the season will be very telling for the Cubs and there will be plenty of storylines to follow.

3 Chicago Cubs Storylines to follow in the second half of the season - What will the team do at the MLB Trade Deadline?

The Cubs are going to be one of the more fascinating teams to watch as the deadline approaches.

If the Cubs decide to sell, they have pieces in starting pitchers Marcus Stroman, Kyle Hendricks, and Drew Smyly that could provide value for the team as they look to add pieces for a contention window that will open in earnest in 2024. Center fielder Cody Bellinger likely would be coveted as well given the offensive resurgence he has had this season.

If the Cubs are buyers, the team truly does have an opportunity to announce to the division and Major League Baseball that they are back. The Cubs have the prospect depth to acquire cost-controlled talent and that could be the path the team takes with a successful start to the second half of the season.

3 Chicago Cubs Storylines to follow in the second half of the season - Will David Ross' job security come into question?

The Chicago Cubs' front office is still saying all the right things about manager David Ross. Despite there being clear inconsistencies with Ross' in-game managerial decisions, the team still thinks highly of their manager.

While the jury is still out on Ross, one thing that has to happen before a decision is made is that the team's front office has to give him a roster of the most talented players. Ross routinely being forced to play Miles Mastrobuoni is a decision where his hands may have been tied given the misevaluations that the front office made at the end of the roster. Ditto for the bullpen as the team could not have projected the regressions of Keegan Thompson and Brandon Hughes.

If the front office decides to add at the deadline and the team comes up short, the blame may be placed on Ross. Still, it remains unlikely that any managerial change would happen after this season.

3 Chicago Cubs Storylines to follow in the second half of the season - Will the team be aggressive with top prospect promotions?

The Chicago Cubs have generally practiced caution with their prospect promotions as the team wants their top prospects to dominate at each level before getting the call-up to the Major Leagues.

However, we may have started to see a shift in that philosophy this season as the team promoted pitching prospects Ben Brown and Jordan Wicks to Triple-A Iowa during the first half of the season with the idea that both could help the Major League team by the end of the season. Daniel Palencia was converted to a reliever upon his promotion to Triple-A and that has led to his promotion to Major League level already.

Cubs' top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong has yet to get the promotion to the Triple-A level but it seems imminent at this point. Depending on the approach the Cubs take at the deadline or, even if the team moves Bellinger to first base as a way to stabilize the position as they go for the division, a promotion of Crow-Armstrong to the Major League level shouldn't be ruled out.

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