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Cubs MLB Trade Deadline Performance Summed Up In One Disheartening Word

Originally posted on Chicago Cubs on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Aug 5, 2025 6:20 PM ET

The Chicago Cubs entered the MLB trade deadline with one clear goal in mind, and unfortunately, they did not meet it.

Which has led to Levi Weaver of The Athletic (subscription required) describing their deadline in one word that fans will be disappointed to read: “timid.”

Finding a front-end starting pitcher to join Shota Imanga and Matthew Boyd in a postseason rotation was their No. 1 priority, and they failed to accomplish that goal.

The only addition made to the rotation was acquiring Michael Soroka from the Washington Nationals, who didn’t even make it through one start without suffering another injury, leaving the team in the same position they were entering the deadline.

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Weaver added that they needed to replace Justin Steele, but Soroka isn't a replacement for Steele, he's a replacement for Taillon.

The veteran Taillon is expected back soon, but Steele will not be returning to the mound this year.

That will put immense pressure on rookie Cade Horton to step up and continue performing at the level which he has recently, since there is a good chance he is starting postseason games in October should the team qualify.

The Cubs' postseason

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The Cubs’ odds of making the postseason are still very high, currently at 98.1% according to Baseball Reference. But, there is a chance they are stuck participating in the NLWC because the Milwaukee Brewers are not going away.

Just a few weeks ago, Chicago held a 6.5-game lead in the National League Central. Entering play on Aug. 5, they are now trailing the Brewers by three games and catching them in the standings will prove more difficult since their starting pitching rotation looks like it will be the same moving forward.

That isn’t to say the moves which the Cubs made weren’t good.

Willi Castro provides much needed depth and versatility across the board. Andrew Kittredge and Taylor Rogers are solid additions to the bullpen who can operate in several different roles.

President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer was signed to an extension days before the deadline, relieving the pressure of potentially working to keep his job.

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But, the lack of a splash, especially in the rotation, leaves something to be desired with their deadline haul.

Timid is the perfect word to describe how Chicago operated. They had the means to make the kind of impact addition that would have helped push them over the top, but didn’t want to part with some of their top prospects to get such a deal done.

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This article first appeared on Chicago Cubs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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