Chicago Cubs: Craig Counsell’s no-BS trade deadline imperative

And that puts the Cubs front office in a bit of a tough spot as the August 3 MLB trade deadline approaches.

The team clearly needs pitching—and lots of it. But, realistically, even a prodigious haul at the deadline won’t add enough arms to the mix for a serious run deep into the postseason. Injury has taken a lot of pieces from the team’s puzzle. At most, the hope is to get the Cubs good enough to make the playoffs and then hope and pray the team catches fire once there.

Counsell’s simple directive

Cubs manager Craig Counsell recently issued a no BS response when asked about his wishes ahead of the trade deadline.

“Just make the team better,” Counsell told reporters on Tuesday. “I don’t think there’s a specific to that at all right now. Most teams are in the same spot regarding that. There’s a lot of ways to make the team better.”

And, well, yeah.

The question, however, is how to do that with a limited amount of trade-bait prospect capital and a market that looks to be considerably more competitive than previously anticipated.

Cubs president Jed Hoyer could opt for a blanket approach, one where he acquires several lesser-regarded arms to provide the team with increased pitching depth. He could also target one major acquisition as a front-of-rotation presence and a morale boost to a team that has scrapped and shown true grit all season.

Something will have to be done, though, if the goal is to take this team into the playoffs with any chance of actually winning.