How will the Chicago Cubs improve at the trade deadline? Jed Hoyer has noted that he has to be creative, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPN. For the Cubs and Hoyer, there's plenty they need to add, and most importantly, show Kyle Tucker that they're willing to build a contender around him.
However, according to Rogers, there will be a more important area of need than anything else. According to Rogers, the Cubs are interested in adding pitching depth, but he noted that they’ll likely have to wait till the end of the month.
“Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer is searching for pitching depth in the trade market, but might be in wait-and-see mode until the end of the month,” he wrote.
The Cubs' starting rotation has been derailed by injuries, which is a significant reason why they need to acquire a new starter.
According to Rogers, Chicago is a bit concerned with some of the innings piling up for a few of their starters. That’s something that Hoyer has to keep in the back of his mind ahead of the deadline.
“The Cubs are also concerned with innings piling up for a couple of starters who didn't play full seasons a year ago due to injury. Left-hander Matthew Boyd has been fantastic but had only eight regular-season appearances in 2024, while rookie Cade Horton made only nine appearances -- all in the minors.”
It’ll likely come down to what the Cubs have to give up in trades. Starting pitchers have gone for ridiculous packages in recent years, and the last thing he wants to do is trade away some of his top prospects for an average return.
Hopefully, that won't be the case.
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