Chicago Cubs Trending Towards Becoming Sellers At MLB Trade Deadline

The Chicago Cubs are fine right now, but recent trends show them moving in the wrong direction and could lead to a change in philosophy at the MLB trade deadline.

Jan 12, 2024; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer talks to the media after introducing pitcher Shota Imanaga (not pictured) during a press conference at Loews Chicago Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Cubs have some important decisions to make ahead of the MLB trade deadline at the end of July.

While things are fine right now, sitting with a .500 record, Chicago is not trending in the right direction.

ESPN Insider Jeff Passan hinted at Jed Hoyer, Cubs president of baseball operations, heading towards 'unloader status' if the team continues to regress in June and July.

The beginning of the season was going very well for Chicago. They had an 18-12 record heading into May, the starting pitching was phenomenal and the bats were at least decent.

Since then, the Cubs have had a 13-19 record and are losing the safety blanket they once had in the race for a Wild Card spot.

One of the main reasons for the sharp decline was the poor performance of the offense.

Since May 1, Chicago ranks bottom-five in wOBA, runs and OPS while in the bottom-ten for just about everything else.

If they can't get things figured soon and heading into a better positon for the playoffs, it would make sense to save some money and pick up whatever you can get for impending free agents.

A few names that Passan mentioned to watch in upcoming trade talks were Ian Happ, Jameson Taillon, Hector Neris and Mark Leiter Jr.

Happ has been with the Cubs since 2017 and just signed a new deal that keeps him under contract through 2026. With his below average production this campaign, though, they might try to get out of that contract and take a big hit in whatever return they may eventually be able to get from him.

So far, he's slashing .232/.335./394 at the plate. The biggest outlier there being his slugging percentage. He's never finished below .400 for a season and hasn't been below .431 since 2018.

It might not make a lot of sense to trade him right now, but a team could possibly be willing to pay a good price for a normally solid switch-hitting bat.

Taillon would be a case of selling high off of a stellar start to the season. Similarly to Happ, though, his price tag still being $18 million per year through 2026 could handicap his return.

Still, he's had a career best 2.84 ERA to this point of the year. If the Cubs don't see him continuing as a top starter and want to get out of the money, it might make sense to pick something up for him.

Neris makes the most sense to trade away as an impending free agent. He's had a 2.86 ERA and picked up a few saves out of the bullpen. A team that is a more solid contender would likely be interested in him.

All of this could be moot if the team starts winning games at a reliable rate again. The talent is there, they just need to find some consistency once again.