The 38-22 Chicago Cubs are a team with few flaws.
The lineup, spearheaded by Kyle Tucker, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki, and Michael Busch, leads the Majors in runs per game (5.82).
They have a legitimate four-man rotation with Jameson Taillon (3.76 ERA, 5.10 FIP), Matthew Boyd (3.08 ERA, 3.45 FIP), Colin Rea (3.96 ERA, 4.33 FIP), and Shota Imanaga (2.82 ERA, 4.53 FIP), who is injured but should return later this month.
The Cubs still need more from Ben Brown and Cade Horton, but should feel good about their unit heading into the heart of the summer.
Even the bullpen, which had caused problems earlier in the year, has righted the ship and now has the 11th-best combined ERA in baseball (3.57). But, despite a first-place standing in the National League Central, now is not the time for complacency.
Tucker is a pending free agent, and the best route to securing his future is a deep October run reminiscent of his time with the Houston Astros. Chicago has plenty of high-upside prospects and would be wise to dangle them for immediate support.
Chad Jennings of The Athletic listed Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman as a potential trade chip at the deadline.
Should the Cubs seek a reunion with the 37-year-old southpaw, here is what the package could look like:
Chicago receives: LHP Aroldis Chapman
Boston receives: 2B/OF James Triantos ( No. 7)
Triantos is a top prospect for the Cubs, and while he is having a relative down year in Triple-A (.250 batting average, .617 OPS, 0 home runs), he demonstrated his value in 2024 with a .302 batting average and a .735 OPS over 86 at-bats.
Seeing as Chicago has a solidified outfield and second baseman Nico Hoerner is not going anywhere, Triantos could be the sacrificial lamb for their postseason push.
Chapman is older and on a one-year, $10.75 million deal, neither of which is overly enticing. But his 1.80 ERA, 2.55 FIP, and 33 strikeouts to nine walks over 25 innings this year, plus a familiarity with the Cubs organization, would bolster this already solid bullpen.
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Are the Milwaukee Brewers still in the running for Eugenio Suárez? While it’s difficult to gauge the precise status of any Suárez-Brewers talks, one thing is clear — there are multiple contenders in hot pursuit of the Arizona Diamondbacks slugger. MLB.com’s Thomas Harrigan called Milwaukee the No. 2 landing spot for Suárez on Saturday (behind the Philadelphia Phillies) and also included the Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, and Houston Astros on his list. On Monday, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale provided an interesting update on the Tigers’ connection to Suárez. “The Detroit Tigers, one of the strong suitors for Diamondbacks All Star 3B Eugenio Suarez, would love to finalize a deal before Suarez leaves town Wednesday,” Nightengale wrote on Monday afternoon. “The DBacks are in Detroit for 3-game series.” Does Detroit, set to share physical proximity with Suárez over the next 72 hours, suddenly have the upper hand in the sweepstakes for the All-Star? That would be a wild development if so. Suárez and his suitors have become the leading topic amid what has otherwise been a quiet trade deadline, although analysts believe a flurry of moves will happen on Thursday with hours remaining before the literal deadline. Suárez’s recent production has only fueled the trade buzz. He’s hit 36 home runs this year and represents the most impactful bat on the market. Brewers fans are still split on whether acquiring Suárez would make a winning team better or possibly interrupt flawless chemistry. The only shocking outcome at this point would be if Suárez is still wearing a Diamondbacks uniform when August begins.
Treylon Burks‘ tenure in Tennessee is on track to come to an end. In the wake of his latest injury, the former first-rounder has been waived. This move has come with an injury designation, which comes as no surprise given the broken collarbone Burks recently suffered in training camp. Injuries have plagued the 25-year-old throughout his brief NFL tenure, which began when Tennessee selected him with the No. 18 pick in the 2022 draft. That selection was acquired by dealing A.J. Brown to the Eagles. Given the link between the two wideouts created by the trade, Burks’ evaluations have always been measured against Brown’s Philadelphia success. During each of his three seasons with the Eagles so far, Brown has earned a Pro Bowl nod and second-team All-Pro acclaim; the 28-year-old was also a key figure in the team’s Super Bowl success in 2025. Burks, by contrast, entered this summer on Tennessee’s roster bubble. The Arkansas product managed a career-best 444 yards as a rookie while being limited to 11 games. Optimism was high that, with better luck on the health front, he could round out his game and develop into a regular on offense with the Titans. Staying on the field has proven to be an issue, however — Burks missed six games again in 2023 and an ACL tear limited him to five contests last season — and when available he has not managed to meet expectations. The collarbone injury accelerated the timing for what could have been a decision to move on from the Titans closer to the start of the regular season. Tennessee’s receiver depth chart will once again be headlined by Calvin Ridley this season. Veteran Tyler Lockett was added in free agency, as was Van Jefferson. The Titans used the draft to add a pair of Day 3 prospects at the position (Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor), and they will look to handle backup roles during their rookie seasons. Tennessee entered Monday with nearly $30M in cap space, so finances will not be an issue if one of the veterans still on the market is targeted in the wake of this move. Burks is now headed to waivers, with all teams free to claim him. Provided he goes unclaimed, he will revert to injured reserve. Situations such as these often result in a release being worked out along with an injury settlement. If that proves to be the case for Burks, his Titans stint will end on an unwanted but unsurprising note.
Juraj Slafkovsky is one of the most promising players in the NHL, but now he has been called out by David Pastrnak, who stated he lacks humility. After being picked No. 1 overall in 2022 NHL Draft, expectations were high in Montreal for young star Juraj Slafkovsky, and thus far, he's shown glimpses of being the elite level player many expected when he entered the National Hockey League. However, there are still some major steps to go, and in a recent interview, Boston Bruins star David Pastrnak pointed out perhaps one area where the 21-year old may need to improve moving forward. When asked about Slafkovsky and his potential, Pastrnak gave nothing but a glowing review of the young Canadiens star, but he did note that he believes Slafkovsky needs more humility. 'He's still a young player who is gaining experience in the NHL every year. This season it was already clear that he gave the team more than before...He just needs a little more humility, he should set an example for the young ones.' On the ice, there's no doubting that Slafkovsky has the presence, the size and the talent to be a true star, posting 101 total points over the past two seasons, but for whatever reason, it appears as though Pastrnak believes he needs to improve off the ice before he can take a major leap in Montreal. Ultimately, the talent is still there for Slafkovsky, and at 21-years old, he'll continue to learn off the ice, and if he can go anywhere close to living up to the potential that he's shown in his first three years at the NHL level, there's no doubt that he can be a big time star and help lead the Canadiens to significant post-season success.
Free agent guard Will Hernandez was fully cleared for football on Monday. The veteran suffered a torn left ACL in October. Hernandez has been mentioned as a possible free agent target for the Bengals. The 29-year-old is a seven-year veteran that is known for his pass blocking. He posted pass blocking grades of 70 or better in each of the past three seasons according to Pro Football Focus. Hernandez has appeared in 97 games (91 starts) over the past seven years. He spent the past three seasons in Arizona after spending the first four years of his career in New York. Realistic Target? On paper, the Bengals are an obvious match for Hernandez. He's coming off of a serious injury, but would certainly like to start and play for a true contender. The Bengals have questions at both guard spots. They parted ways with Alex Cappa before free agency opened, but opted not to sign a clear-cut starter. They added veteran Lucas Patrick and re-signed Cody Ford instead. Patrick is dealing with a calf injury that he suffered last week. Ford is taking all of the starting reps at right guard. Will the Bengals consider signing Hernandez or another veteran guard? So far, the answer has been "no." Things could change, especially if Patrick is going to miss real time. The injury sounds minor and head coach Zac Taylor said the veteran is "day-to-day." The Announcement Hernandez announced that he's fully cleared for one reason: to let all 32 teams know that he's ready to return to the field. He should have his fair share of suitors. If the Bengals are unsure about their guard room, then adding a proven player like Hernandez would make a ton of sense. Check out his announcement below:
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