The Chicago Cubs have been on a horrible stretch after getting out to a hot start.
Despite winning 10 consecutive games twice this season, Chicago has won just 33 games this season.
It’s hard to find hope in anything the Cubs have been doing lately. Because of this, it’s hard to gauge whether the Cubs will be buyers or sellers at the deadline.
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said the Trade Deadline is currently “the furthest thing from my mind,” per ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.
After an 18-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants, putting the Cubs ever closer to being at the bottom of the division, it should be a little closer to Hoyer’s mind.
What Did Chicago Cubs’ Jed Hoyer Say?
Hoyer acknowledged the organization’s needs if the Cubs are in the race by Aug. 3.
“Our position player group is deep, and it’s pretty set,” Hoyer said Friday morning. “The backbone of our team is our position players. They have to play well for us to be a good team.
“We’ll be looking at pitching at that point. [But] sitting here talking about the deadline, given how we’ve played, is the wrong thing to talk about.”
The Cubs, in addition to their win streaks, have lost 10 in a row this season, including eight in a row at Wrigley Field. This streak was broken by a miraculous four-run, ninth-inning rally over the Athletics on Thursday. The offense, however, has been stagnant much of the last few weeks.
“We need to get back to getting big hits in big moments,” Hoyer said.
That will be reliant on the stars of Chicago, like Pete Crow-Armstrong and others, to get out of this offensive slump.
For what it’s worth, Crow-Armstrong is starting to break out of his slump, with a .414/.469/.793 slash line in his last seven games.
What Else Did Hoyer Say?
While Hoyer is relying on the Cubs’ offense to go back to where it was earlier this season, the pitching needs to do better than it has been.
The Cubs have given up 29 runs in their last three games, with poor performances by Edward Cabrera, Shota Imanaga and others.
Hoyer also discussed getting a bye and the Cubs’ World Series chances.
However, the Cubs will need to surpass the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers to at least have a chance at that bye. But Hoyer isn’t letting that change his mindset.
“The trade deadline is the furthest thing from my mind right now, given how we’ve played,” Hoyer said. “We just have to play better. That’s the priority.
“Some of these slumps give me comfort. I know that sounds strange. We have really good, established players. They’re going to get hot, they’re going to get to their numbers. That’s just how this works.”
If the hitting and pitching get back to where this team was at the start of the season, the Cubs have as good a chance as any to get a bye. But a lot has to change between now and the Trade Deadline.
Cubs Hoyer Makes Strong Statement About Trade Deadline Amid Slump