Cubs president Jed Hoyer details trade deadline approach

The Chicago Cubs are currently 30-37, but despite being seven games below .500 they still have a realistic chance of making the postseason. The reason why? A middling NL Central. 

The Cubs are just 4.5 games behind the division-leading Pittsburgh Pirates. Even better, the Cubs are currently hosting the Pirates and have won the first two in the series and will be looking for the sweep on Thursday night. Further, they play the Pirates in Pittsburgh next week for a three-game set. This is a big stretch coming up for the Cubbies that could help them move from pretenders to contenders.

For team president Jed Hoyer, things are currently a bit tricky. During a normal year, the Cubs being 30-37 would mean they'd be sellers at the trade deadline, but because of the weak division that may not be the case. Per MLB.com, Hoyer said the Cubs are "fortunate" and believes "anyone can still win it."

“No one has pulled away, or even pulled away from .500," Hoyer shared. "That's one of the challenges of evaluating your team, is that you're evaluating where you are in the standings, but you're also evaluating how you're performing.”

The Cubs could wind up having at least two of the top names on the market at the trade deadline in NL ERA leader Marcus Stroman and center fielder Cody Bellinger, but Hoyer isn't ready to declare whether the Cubs will be buyers or sellers down the stretch. 

The MLB trade deadline is on August 1st, and Hoyer needs more time to see if the 2023 Cubs team can make some noise in the postseason or if this year is yet another lost cause. 

“A lot happens in that time,” Hoyer said. “We have six more weeks to play to get a feel for where we are. I think we have to evaluate all of that. Obviously, given where we are in relation to .500, I think in a normal season, we'd be looking at a much steeper climb than we are right now.”

Hoyer's words aren't exactly optimistic or pointing to the Cubs making trades in the next six weeks to bolster their team instead of dismantling it. However, perhaps his pragmatic approach is the most logical as things currently stand in mid-June. It may be as simple as if the Cubs keep winning Hoyer will bring in reinforcements, and if things go south he'll sell their biggest trade chips. 

Buckle up. The next six weeks on the North Side are bound to be polarizing.