Chicago Cubs Draw Criticism for Not Making This Trade Deadline Move

The Chicago Cubs drew some criticism for not trading one specific player ahead of the MLB trade deadline.

Apr 9, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Drew Smyly (11) throws a pitch against the San Diego Padres during the fifth inning at Petco Park / Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Cubs ended up making just a few moves ahead of the MLB trade deadline.

After tons of rumors of them being potential big-time sellers, the Cubs traded away Mark Leiter Jr. as their main move of selling. They also went out and acquired All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Christopher Morel.

Finally, a smaller acquisition was made to bring in reliever Nate Pearson from the Toronto Blue Jays.

Instead of selling, Chicago opted to makes deals the front office felt would help them compete in 2025 and beyond. However, they are being criticized for not making one specific move.

Michael Brakebill of FanSided believes the Cubs made a mistake by not trading veteran pitcher Drew Smyly.

"Smyly is enjoying a stellar season in a relief role for the Cubs, owning a sparkly 2.53 ERA in 42.2 innings of work. The Cubs picked up his option this past winter, but after the 2024 campaign, he is set to hit free agency. If the emphasis at the deadline wasn't to get better for this season, they should have moved him for whatever they could instead of inevitably letting him walk this winter for nothing."

Honestly, the moves that Chicago made were good ones, but it showed major indecision by the front office.

Jed Hoyer could not decide which direction to commit to. He didn't want to rebuild, but he didn't want to go all-in on competing either. Instead, he chose to remain in the middle of the two options.

That has led some to state that the Cubs are currently in baseball purgatory.

The numbers produced by their veteran reliever would have made a team or two interested in acquiring him, and considering the returns that bullpen arms drew, they could have potentially gotten a haul.

Many contenders around the league were looking for relievers and Smyly could have joined a team as a potential starter as well.

Expect to see the Cubs move on from Smyly during the upcoming MLB offseason. They could keep him around, but the two sides parting ways seems like the most likely scenario.

If that ends up being the case, Chicago passed on acquiring a piece or two just to keep him around for the final two months of the year.