This is such bullshit because we haven’t even reached the halfway point of the 2023 season and it’s become painfully evident that this Cubs team isn’t going to be competing for a playoff spot this year. That was the team’s intention entering the year and it wasn’t just a hopeful thought. A flat out failure from the front office that will now most likely lead to a third straight year of being sellers at the trade deadline.

And the thing is, a few of the guys who are probably going to be talked about in the next 6-8 weeks shouldn’t be dealt because the Cubs should still keep them around to compete next year. But who knows, pretty much every guy you can think of on this roster is going to be available at the trade deadline.

Marcus Stroman

I’d hate it. He still has one more year in his deal, albeit a player option, but the Cubs should instead be looking to work out a contract extension with Marcus Stroman, who has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season and even going back to last summer.

Yet, that’s why Stroman is high on the list as a likely candidate to get traded. He might be the number one starting pitcher on the trade market and if the team and him can’t agree on a contract extension, then they will look to trade him. Let’s hope Jed Hoyer actually takes advantage of having a top trade piece this time around and does better than Nick Madrigal and Codi Heuer for Craig Kimbrel, who was the number one closer on the trade market back in 2021.

Drew Smyly

Pretty much a similar situation to Stroman. Drew Smyly has been good once again in the middle of the Cubs starting rotation and the veteran lefty could receive plenty of interest around the trade deadline. He has a player opt-out following the 2023 season and unless a 2-3 contract extension happens between Smyly and the Cubs, he will probably be dealt somewhere this summer.

Mark Leiter Jr.

The veteran right-hander has been incredible this season and we’ve seen the Cubs being proactive in trading relievers the past few years. Yeah, Leiter is 32-years-old, but he’s inexpensive and still a pre-arbitration player. He can be viewed as a difference-making reliever on a competing team based on his performance since the middle of the 2022 season with the Cubs.

Adbert Alzolay

I mean, I’d hate it, but if the Cubs can get a solid player in return, either an every-day position player or a starting pitcher like the Scott Effross trade to the Yankees for Hayden Wesneski, then they have to consider it. Adbert Alzolay is having a superb season as a full-time reliever and his value might be at an all-time high.

Cody Bellinger

The problem here is that Cody Bellinger has been out with a knee injury since May 15, and he’s barely going to Arizona to get some work in before he begins a rehab assignment. It’s tough to determine what his value will be, but if returns in the middle of the June and then gets hot again at the plate like he was in April, then he’d be one of the top position players on the trade market.

Yet, if Bellinger struggles or doesn’t draw good enough offers, then it’s probably better for both parties to remain together. Bellinger has a player option for 2024, and he could still hit the free agent market before he’s 30-years-old, after a second season with the Cubs.

Kyle Hendricks

Kyle Hendricks has a team option worth $16 million for the 2024 season. There is just no way the Cubs are going to pick that up. The front office has to be hoping Hendricks can pitch effectively for the next month to draw some interest. After missing nearly a year with a shoulder injury, Hendricks has been back in the Cubs starting rotation since the end of May and through three starts he’s been OK. Not sure what the Cubs could get for him, but they’ll be listening if teams call about him.