I agree with above. No reason to give him away or "blink first" on a so-so trade. The Cubs are pretty good this year with a sh!t rotation. Adding Harper or Machado and they can still be pretty good with a sh!t rotation. Maybe, just maybe, not playing everyday turns him around. At least enough to raise his value.
Drop Miguel Sano (MIN)* Add Jose Ramirez (CLE) *I'm super glad I kept him the entire time he was in the minors. And now that he's back and actually hitting dingers, it's time to jettison him for Ramirez. Last move of second half.
But those numbers are from years past. This years Cubs hitters are not really hitting like Cubs hitters of the past, with the exception of Javy (better than in the past). Of course, with their Jeckyll and Hyde outputs this year, they’ll probably chase Max in the fifth inning.
Cubs have 46 games remaining. If they finish with 90 wins, everyone gets one more chance at starting a thread (with itsallpartoftheplan getting tomorrow and one more. Hopefully it comes up well short of happening.
And Peralta can't get an out in the 4th before being lifted. His line, you ask: 3+ innings, 7 ER on 7 hits, 5 BBs and 3 Ks. Yep, he just needs to harness that moving fastball. #-o