MLB Scout Urges Chicago Cubs to Sell at the Trade Deadline Amid Struggles

An MLB scout believes the Chicago Cubs should sell at the trade deadline and retool during the offseason.

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. / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

For the Chicago Cubs to get back into the mix before the July MLB trade deadline, they'd have to be a completely different team than they've shown to be. 41-48 on the season, it doesn't look like that's going to be the case.

The Cubs' struggles are disappointing for many reasons, but it's clear that this team isn't nearly good enough to compete for a World Series, even if they added a few pieces.

Unless Chicago goes out and adds four to five pieces who could come in and be major impact players, their chances of even making the postseason don't look likely. There might not even be five players traded at the deadline who could help with that, which already drops their chances of accomplishing what needs to be done.

Instead, it might be best to retool and focus on the offseason. Why trade one of their top prospects in a loaded farm system for a player who might not move the needle? Unless that player has a few years of control, it doesn't make sense.

While their talent is lacking in the grand scheme of things, they do have pieces contending teams could be interested in. Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic spoke to scouts around the league, and many of them believe they need to be sellers at the deadline and focus on the offseason.

"Most of the scouts believed, in the end, the Cubs would be sellers at the deadline.

"One pointed out that with so few sellers, the Cubs should jump at the opportunity and be aggressive as they try to reshape a team that hasn’t lived up to expectations. With the performance fans have seen on the field for much of this season, trying to shake things up with an eye to still take a step forward in 2025 may be a welcome move."

That could mean that Cody Bellinger, Ian Happ, and others get traded within the next few weeks.

Happ, who the Cubs drafted in 2015, made his debut in 2017 and has never been on a different team. The fan favorite would be missed, but if a contending team wants the versatile switch hitter, it might be best to move on.

Bellinger, who revived his career in Chicago in 2023, has a player option this offseason. There's a good chance he leaves in the winter, so getting something back for him wouldn't make his one-year, $30 million deal as bad as it might seem.

Perhaps they play better, and things change, but all signs point to the Cubs selling and attempting to get better in the offseason.