Jed Hoyer attempts to steady ship amidst troubling waters in current Cubs' season

Prior to hitting a home run against the Milwaukee Brewers to break a scoreless tie in Tuesday's game, Chicago Cubs' first baseman Michael Busch was at the heart of many conversations about the state of the Cubs' roster.

Busch's struggles during the month of May have fueled the suggestion from fans that the Cubs demote the former Dodgers' top prospect to Triple-A Iowa in favor of Pete Crow-Armstrong. The idea was that the Cubs would shift Cody Bellinger to first base while playing Crow-Armstrong regularly in center field.

Busch's home run and, consequently, RBI single in extra innings were instant gratification for what Jed Hoyer told reports prior to the game.

"“You try to be patient,” Hoyer said. “You want to believe that track records will win out. But at the same time, there has to be a level of urgency as well. That’s a fine balance.”"

Jed Hoyer, The Athletic

The issue with being patient is that the needs that the Cubs have may not allow the benefit of Hoyer waiting until the end of July to make a move.

Even with two hits from Miguel Amaya on Tuesday, the Cubs' catchers are struggling this season to the extent that a reasonable case can be made that veteran Yan Gomes should be designated for assignment. Whether it is Elias Diaz or another rental catcher available on a seller, the Cubs know firsthand the difficulty in an in-season catcher trade after they were unable to move Willson Contreras at the trade deadline in 2022. Time is a valuable asset when acquiring a catcher in-season as it would allow the new arrival to get acclimated with the team's pitching staff sooner as opposed to later.

In a similar sense, the Cubs' bullpen continues to struggle with holding leads after the seventh inning. For a Cubs' team that missed the post-season by one game in 2023, blown saves matter at any point of the season.

Hoyer routinely prides himself on being patient, but if the needs go unaddressed until the deadline, that could ultimately cost the Cubs a post-season spot in 2024.