Despite some national positivity, things still look pretty bleak right now for the Chicago Cubs. Saying May has been abysmal would be an understatement. The starting rotation has been pitching well, but they aren’t receiving much help. The offense has gone ice-cold, and the bullpen is addicted to giving up runs. It’s not a great combination and will certainly not win you games.
We are well past the 50-game mark in 2024. Just about one-third of the competition has been played in the regular season. Generally speaking, teams should know what they are and what they are capable of by now. The Cubs believe they are a good team and will be there at the end, looking towards the postseason. They are now 4.5 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central Division. They are also 0.5 games behind in the Wild Card race. They’re in it, just not where they want to be yet.
Shota Imanaga has been historically good for the Cubs in his rookie MLB season. He leads the league with his 0.89 earned run average. Javier Assad has quietly had an extraordinary season himself, with a 4-1 record and a 2.17 ERA. Together with the rotation’s other contributors, the Cubs starters are tied with the Atlanta Braves for the second-best starter ERA in baseball, trailing the Philadelphia Phillies.
Beyond that, however, the Cubs have struggled. The bullpen is having difficulty executing after the rotation’s magnificent starts, and the lineup is not producing enough offense. The Cubs’ collective batting average is fifth-worst in baseball. Now, back at .500 with a record of 27-27, it’s time to turn it around.
Farm System Stocked, Ready To Help
Pete Crow-Armstrong will be back on the major league roster sooner rather than later. He was just named the Triple-A International Player of the Week with his three home runs and 25 total bases. Starter Cade Horton is due anytime now to join an ailing Cubs pitching staff. Others like Brennan Davis, Owen Caissie, and Matt Shaw could also make a difference before 2024 is complete.
When the Cubs tore it all down in 2021, the idea was to build the organizational talent up through their farm system to prepare for a championship-winning window that would exceed the length of their last one. Now that they have the talent in place to do it, they need to maneuver their way into putting more wins on the board and contending right here in 2024.
The talent coming through the pipeline could undoubtedly help the Cubs at Wrigley Field soon. However, their surplus in these riches could also matter as the trade market begins to heat up and kick into gear. The Cubs may be willing to part with some of their homegrown talent to obtain major league talent to help them right now.
Teams are beginning to be labeled as “buyers” and “sellers” on the trade market. The Cubs talk confidently about themselves and believe in what they have, making them almost sure to be buyers as the deadline approaches. Coincidentally, teams have started to leak out who may be available as the summer months begin. Some of those players could significantly help the Cubs in their pursuit of the postseason.
Confirmed: Possible Cubs’ Target Is Available For Trade
When it comes to “fixing” the Chicago Cubs, it most likely will start with the back end of their bullpen. The Cubs need a bonafide closer as bad as anything. Bob Nightengale of USA Today has now reported that the Boston Red Sox are “planning to trade” relief pitcher Kenley Jansen prior to the July deadline.
Jansen has executed nine saves in ten attempts so far in the 2024 campaign for the Red Sox. He has a 3.06 earned run average with 23 strikeouts in 17.2 total innings pitched. He is in the final year of his two-year $32 million contract with the Red Sox, who Nightengale says are not exploring extending or re-signing. Rather than losing him for nothing, the Red Sox will try to move him to a team that needs him and may re-sign him themselves.
The Cubs could use Jansen in the bullpen to help shut the door on games and generate wins that are seemingly slipping away from them. The Cubs may also dream of other relievers to hit the market, such as Oakland A’s phenom Mason Miller. But his price tag will be much higher than Jansen’s. President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer and General Manager Carter Hawkins will certainly be looking to give up as little as possible while obtaining as much as possible. Jansen is someone the Cubs could trade for without giving up the farm and still having ammunition in reserve to either make another move or stay the course with homegrown talent.
