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With the Major League Baseball regular season halfway through the month of June, teams including the Chicago Cubs are beginning to their shift their focus to the Major League Baseball Trade Deadline.
The MLB Trade Deadline has been an important mile-marker for the Cubs during the past two seasons. At the MLB Trade Deadline during the 2021 season, the Cubs took a wrecking ball to their 2016 World Series winning core as the likes of first baseman Anthony Rizzo, shortstop Javier Baez, and third baseman Kris Bryant were all moved in deadline deals.
The MLB Trade Deadline last season for the Cubs was shaping up to be just as dramatic as there were strong indications that the team would move left fielder Ian Happ and catcher Willson Contreras. Each player went through farewells at Wrigley Field and it created an awkward moment when neither was moved by the team. Happ has since signed a three-year contract extension with the Cubs while Contreras has moved on to the St. Louis Cardinals.
This season, the Cubs currently have a record 28-37 on the season and are teetering between remaining alive in the National League Central and firmly becoming sellers ahead of the 2023 MLB Trade Deadline.
When is the MLB Trade Deadline?
The MLB Trade Deadline for the 2023 MLB season is on August 1. It is likely that the Cubs will need to decide at the beginning of July whether they will be buyers or sellers at this deadline.
As it stands, three of the most valuable trade chips that the Cubs have may be starting pitchers with Marcus Stroman, Drew Smyly, and Kyle Hendricks all having the opportunity to reach free agency this winter. If the Cubs fall further down the standings in the NL Central during the month of June, the team could act quickly at the beginning of July and move their coveted starting pitchers.