Chicago Cubs Make Bold Decision For Trade Deadline

The Chicago Cubs are just 3.5 games back of a Wild Card spot heading into Monday night's games, but at five games under .500, they're probably seeing the writing on the wall for their chances of actually making any noise this season, and today have made a bold move. The Cubs have now revealed that they will NOT be buyers at the trade deadline this week. And that can only mean...

Patrick Mooney, Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic report that the Cubs will be "in listening mode" and ready to sell.

“We’re not in good shape,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Sunday at Wrigley Field.

As the trio of insiders suggests, everything could be on the table.

Though the asking price would surely be astronomical, those conversations could theoretically include offers for standout left-hander Justin Steele.

More realistically, the Cubs who could be had on the trade market would include Cody Bellinger, starting pitcher Jameson Taillon and reliever Hector Neris.

The Cubbies, however, still hope to be back as contenders in 2025, so it's doubtful that they hold any type of huge fire sale.

The North Siders won't be buyers, that much is assured now, but as Mooney, Rosenthal and Sammon put it, "the internal belief is that the Cubs are not that far away from the team that quickly pivoted to buyers last year, finishing with 83 wins when 84 was good enough for the Diamondbacks and Marlins to make the playoffs."

And we know what the D-Backs did after simply scraping their way in.