Cubs Trade Deadline Recap: Cubs Get Better, But So Do NL Rivals

The cubs are looking to get back to the top in 2017. Did they do enough?

The Chicago Cubs did their trade deadline shopping early this season, and were mostly bystanders rather than serious buyers in the Monday afternoon trade festivities ahead of the 3 p.m. CDT non-waiver trade deadline.

Unfortunately, while the Cubs watched the trading drama unfold, two of their National League rivals ended the day a lot better than they started it.

The Washington Nationals further bolstered their bullpen by adding Minnesota Twins closer Brandon Kintzler (2.78 ERA, 28 saves) right before the trade deadline expired. This supplemented a move they made earlier in the month when the team added Oakland Athletics relievers Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle via a trade.

These moves bolster the Nationals most glaring need: a bullpen that has the second-worst ERA in MLB (5.07) this season.

And then there’s the Dodgers. The best team in baseball record wise just got a whole lot better. And no, they didn’t acquire Orioles reliever Zach Britton to create a two-headed monster with Kenley Jansen in the back of the bullpen.

Instead, they added two left-handed Tony’s in veteran relievers Tony Watson and Tony Cingrani. Oh yeah, they added a starting pitcher too. His name is Yu Darvish and he gives them a legitimate ace to pair with Clayton Kershaw. Speaking of two-headed monsters….

The Dodgers eliminated any conversation about which team is currently the best in baseball with these acquisitions as they beefed up their already formidable lineup for the stretch run. Things can change, but right now the Los Angeles Dodgers look like the favorites to win a World Series title.

Even though the Cubs did improve prior to the deadline, the Dodgers countermoves firmly solidified the gap between the two teams. On paper, the Cubs are part of a handful of second-tier teams in the National League, all chasing the Dodgers. The Nationals and Cubs look virtually indistinguishable from each other in terms of talent level, while the Brewers made some fringe moves that slightly improved the club. The Diamondbacks made an impact trade on July 18 when they acquired outfielder J.D. Martinez for a slew of prospects. The Colorado Rockies hope that newly acquired catcher Jonathan Lucroy will help them hold a Wildcard spot. The club is 8–7 after the All-Star break.

This article isn’t here to condemn Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein for complacency. He aced the trade deadline with the deals he flipped, and perhaps the fact that he was one of the few executives who didn’t procrastinate on his trade homework created a mirage of complacency. While everybody else scrambled on Monday afternoon, Epstein relaxed because his work was already done.

Based on Twitter reports, it seemed that Epstein was lukewarm in his commitment to pulling off another trade on Monday. If the right deal would have came along he would have pounced, but he wasn’t going to go all in on a player if it meant drawing from the 25-man roster. This was kind of the story of the Cubs day: monitoring situations as they unfolded.

However, the Cubs escaped the trading period significantly improved with the core of the 25-man roster intact. For that Epstein should be applauded.

The Cubs emerged from the trade-period fryer with a significantly improved roster that has won in bunches since the All-Star break. However, repeating as World Series champions is no easy task, especially with the power moves the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals executed today.

Paul Steeno spent 11 years pretending he was good at running. After hanging up the track spikes and officially becoming an elite hobby jogger, he decided to do something that he was actually good at: like writing about the Cubs. He is also a perpetually frustrated Chicago Bulls fan. This one time he got super lucky and ran 3:52 in the 1500 meter run.