Should The Chicago Cubs Buy From These American League Sellers?

[Matthew Lenz]

Even though the MLB trade deadline is still a ways off, it's starting to get late early for some teams across Major League Baseball. With July 31 serving as the league-wide trade ultimatum, we are roughly a month away from the hot stove reaching it's inferno. However, there are a handful of teams who we can pretty confidently say are going to be sellers around the deadline. Who are they, what do they have to offer, and how could the Chicago Cubs benefit? Let's dive in.

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Chicago White Sox

The White Sox are 12 games below .500 and 13 games out of a playoff spot. They acknowledged a multi-year rebuild over the offseason, so it shouldn't be surprising that they are sellers once again. Potential rentals include outfielders Michael A. Taylor and Austin Slater, as well as recently-acquired starter Aaron Civale. Otherwise, intriguing players who are controlled beyond 2025 include infielder Josh Rojas and outfielder Mike Tauchman. However, it’s more realistic that teams aggressively kick the tires on outfielder Luis Robert Jr., who has been the subject of trade speculation for a while now. Robert Jr. signed a pre arbitration extension that included $20 million team options for 2026 and 2027 that can be bought out for $2 million. Once a top prospect in baseball, the 28-year-old has had a hard time staying healthy throughout his career and has struggled at the plate over the last two seasons.

The cross-town trade used to be rare, but recent history has proven there's a genuine relationship between the front offices here. Perhaps a reunion with Tauchman is in order, given the Cubs' needs on the bench for a true fifth outfielder?

 

Athletics

The Athletics have been in a free fall ever since they started their season 22-20. In their last 28 games, they have just four wins. While they are a young team with some exciting talent, they're obviously not ready yet and have a handful of rentals that teams could kick the tires on. Most notably are utility players Miguel Andujar and Luis Urias, who have both produced above average at the plate. Third baseman Gio Urshela is more than two years removed from his last productive season and has a mediocre glove at the hot corner, but could be an intriguing option to handle the short side of a platoon. On the mound, Jose Leclerc and T.J. McFarland are two potential reliever rentals, though Leclerc has been sidelined with a lat strain since April and McFarland has been plain bad. It seems likely that at least one of Andujar, Urias, or Urshela is traded ahead of the deadline, and given that the Cubs need an upgrade to their porous bench unit, the fit is right.

Baltimore Orioles

Injuries aside, it's still pretty shocking to see the Orioles struggling this much. After winning 91 games and earning a playoff berth in 2024, they are currently 13 games below .500 and 8.5 games out of a playoff spot. The difference here is that the Orioles are not in the midst of a rebuild, so it's likely they limit their moves to players on expiring deals. Those names include: pitchers Zach Eflin, Charlie Morton, Tomoyuki Sugano, and Gregory Soto, as well as outfielder Cedric Mullins. Of those players, Eflin, Sugano, and Soro are having successful seasons on the mound and will draw significant trade interest. However, two names that have been the subject of trade rumors but are controllable beyond 2025 are first baseman Ryan Mountcastle and outfielder Heston Kjerstad. Mountcastle, who will miss the next 8-12 weeks with a hamstring strain, is having a down year with a .628 OPS and two home runs. Kjerstad, who was recently optioned to Triple-A Norfolk, has also struggled this season but has often found himself as the odd man out of a stacked group of young talent.

Cubs Needs

Well, Jed Hoyer recently made this easy. Earlier this week, he joined a New York Post podcast and stated that the Cubs will look to add pitching (“both rotation and bullpen”) at the deadline. While this is obvious considering the slew of injuries they've had to their staff, it's encouraging to hear Hoyer be so publicly emphatic. While some internal reinforcements are expected to come later in the season, it's no guarantee they will come back and be ready to compete in a playoff race. Even after acquiring Kyle Tucker this offseason, the Cubs have some prospect trade chips at the top levels of their organization.

With one of the best offenses in baseball, Hoyer stated the obvious: the Cubs need pitching help. Now the question is, will they go fishing for a trophy, or a small fry?

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What do you think the Cubs should do at the MLB trade deadline? Join the conversation in the comments!

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