For as long as Theo Epstein has been in Chicago, the Chicago Cubs have been among the most active teams in the midseason trade market. But now, as the Cubs battle the Brewers and Cardinals for the NL Central title, there’s little to want for the Cubs.
Aroldis Chapman and Jose Quintana were the headlining trades the Chicago Cubs made in the past two seasons. Despite Quintana’s rocky start to 2018, both trades seemed to have worked out well for the Cubs.
But 2018 is different than 2016 and 2017. The Cubs have everything they need now; they need their key pieces to perform.
The offense and rotation are locked
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With both the rotation and lineup, Joe Maddon has more capable players than he can fit on the field.
The rotation didn’t miss a beat when Darvish hit the DL. Montgomery has thrown an ERA of 1.02 in his starts filling in for the Cubs’ offseason acquisition.
Jon Lester has been dominant all year, and Jose Quintana is starting to look more like himself. Kyle Hendricks has struggled with the long ball, but he’s still getting the results the Cubs need from him.
By the time the MLB trade deadline rolls around, the Cubs might have six quality starters. The last thing they’ll need to do is add a seventh.
The offense has gotten a lot harder against opposing pitchers since Jason Heyward started hitting. With his improvements and Anthony Rizzo’s return to form, it’s hard for the opposition to see where their outs will come from.
There’s nothing to add. There’s no one in the Cubs’ rotation that you want to take off the field. The outfield platoon has been effective, and the infield is littered with All-Stars.
Lights out bullpen
The bullpen has been the Cubs’ rock all season. The offense and rotation have both been hot and cold throughout the year, but the bullpen never stuttered.
The Cubs’ have the second-best team ERA in baseball, and they have their bullpen to thank for that. They’re tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks for second best MLB bullpen ERA at 2.62. They’re only .04 points behind the Milwaukee Brewers’ famous 2018 bullpen.
There are guys you could argue to replace, but there are internal options you could argue to replace them with. Eddie Butler is still expected to return to the Cubs. Carl Edwards Jr. should return any day now.
Next: Manny Machado trade rumors: Phillies in talks with Orioles
The Chicago Cubs are a complete team as the MLB trade deadline nears. Theo Epstein and his front office should kick their feet back and let the team play.