3 ways the Cubs could screw up the MLB trade deadline

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Realistically, 2023 is looking like a year where the Chicago Cubs will have to deal with not making the playoffs for the third straight year. Unless they go on a seriously convincing run over the next couple of months, the team is poised to re-group to try again next year. While that may be tough to swallow especially from a fan perspective, it's the way this game goes sometimes. That being said, there are some great opportunities this trade deadline that can put the team in a great position to win in 2024 and beyond.

That is assuming general manager Jed Hoyer and his front office don't colossally fail. Here are a few ways they could botch the 2023 trade deadline and how they can avoid making this season completely pointless.

1. Not trading Marcus Stroman

Marcus Stroman is most definitely going to opt out of his player option for 2024 and seek a larger contract for the future. Given the stellar performance he has put up this year, the man will probably get paid a solid chunk of change in the offseason. Whether the Cubs are the ones to give Stroman that money is something we'll have to wait and see. I would guess the answer to that is no given the amount of starting pitching depth that's already in the system. That depth is also a solid reason to trade him this week.

Hayden Wesneski is currently getting stretched out at Triple-A Iowa and he will likely be taking Stroman's spot in the starting rotation. Although he struggled earlier this year, he is on a hot streak in Iowa right now and he still has one of the best sliders in the game. Caleb Kilian, Javier Assad, and Ben Brown are also options not to mention there is a wealth of other free-agent starting pitching that will be available over the winter. All of these reasons point to the Cubs moving Stroman this trade deadline to get some assets for him while he is dealing.

Postseason contenders always need starting pitching meaning the Cubs could cash in on a bidding war for the 32-year-old righty. Stroman currently owns a 3.09 ERA (third best in the National League) while he is tied for the league lead in quality starts with 15. The Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, and Los Angeles Dodgers are all in need of another solid starter and they each have prospects to move. The Cubs would be wise to make this move when you consider all the starting pitching options they have for 2024.

2. Trading Cody Bellinger

While moving Stroman makes all the sense in the world, trading Cody Bellinger does not. For one, there is a serious lack of professional bats not only on the Cubs' major league roster but also the system as a whole. Even though Bellinger will also probably opt out of his mutual option for 2024, keeping him for the next two years could be the difference between the Cubs keeping him and seeing him walk out the door this winter. It certainly seems like Bellinger likes to play at Wrigley Field. Every time he cranks a home run, you can see the fan-energy surge through him and instantly put a smile on his face.

Cody Bellinger in his last 10 games:

.436 AVG
1.324 OPS
15 RBI
5 HR pic.twitter.com/0lZusoxUsO
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) July 23, 2023

Bellinger is also the hottest hitter in the last month, seeing one of the best stretches of his career with 6 home runs, 19 RBIs, and a .457 batting average. The 28-year-old also owns a .319/.369/.549 slash line on the year. Bellinger hasn't seen this kind of consistent production in years and something seems to have been unlocked in the guy since coming to the Cubs. Trading him would put a bad taste in everyone's mouth and make it very unlikely for him to come back in free agency.

Although Bellinger's agent Scott Boras is notoriously stingy when it comes to extensions in the middle of the season, the Cubs can at least attempt to circumvent this by keeping Bellinger on the team through the season and floating an offer that would entice the man. Even if it comes to a free-agent negotiation, the Cubs need to be all-in and do whatever it takes to keep Bellinger at Wrigley Field. Left-handed power has been hard to come by for the Cubs and Bellinger provides that and so much more. Trading him would be a foolish mistake.

3. Doing nothing

Another way Jed Hoyer could truly screw up this trade deadline is by standing pat. I don't think anyone is expecting or wants that to happen, but it certainly could. After all, it looked all but confirmed that Willson Contreras and Ian Happ were going to get moved last year but that did not happen. While that outcome may have been because of other teams, it doesn't change the fact that things could have turned out differently. However, Hoyer is in a position to get some quality prospects at the deadline through the aforementioned Stroman trade as well as a deal involving reliever Michael Fulmer.

If Hoyer does nothing, I don't know how I could look at the deadline and call it a success. We know the Cubs aren't quite ready for a playoff push yet so moving Stroman and Fulmer at the very least needs to happen. Ideally, you would want some near MLB-ready talent in return, but I'm not going to go as far as expecting that kind of return.

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