With the trade deadline 44 days away, Major League Baseball executives are under a lot of pressure to make the right decisions.
ESPN’s Buster Olney named seven MLB executives who are under the most pressure at this year’s trade deadline.
Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer made the list, and for good reason.
The Cubs have one of the best offenses in baseball but their star right fielder is a pending free agent and the starting rotation is shaky.
Hoyer needs to make a big splash at the deadline to go all in for a deep postseason run.
“Chicago is so good – its offense is so dynamic and versatile, its defense so efficient,” wrote Olney. “One evaluator believes that the question for Hoyer is not whether the Cubs will make the playoffs (their playoff chances, per FanGraphs, is 88.5%), but what will make them more dangerous in the meaningful games they’re bound to play at the end of the season.”
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The Cubs haven’t made the playoffs since they won the National League Central in 2020. At 44-28, the Cubs have a five-and-a-half game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the division.
The offense is already good, and other than a bench bat or two, Hoyer can leave the offense alone.
The big splash needs to be acquiring a quality starting pitcher to bolster the rotation, and the Cubs have plenty of talent in the minors to get a deal done.
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