Skip to main content

Chicago Cubs Hope To Be Buyers At 2023 MLB Trade Deadline

The Chicago Cubs are coming out of their rebuild and hope to be in a position to buy at the 2023 MLB trade deadline rather than sellers.

The Chicago Cubs have endured a long, and at times, brutal rebuild over the better part of the last four seasons. They held onto the past for as long as they could until just Kyle Hendricks was left standing as the lone player from the 2016 World Series championship team.

Over the course of the last three seasons the Cubs have slowly traded away their talent at the MLB trade deadline and restocked their farm system. In just a few years Chicago was able to create a top-10 farm system in baseball with elite talent at nearly every level. 

Additionally, the quality depth that they have acquired is now producing at the Major League level. A hallmark of any contender. Add in the $300 million they committed in free agency this winter and the rebuild seems complete. 

So, it's time to add, right?

President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer has a hope that this season will be different from the last few when the trade deadline comes around. Speaking with the The Athletic's Patrick Mooney he made it clear things will be different around Chicago. 

“We’ve added a ton to our system and to our team over the last couple years,” Hoyer said. “I think we’ve kind of played a bad hand well at the deadline, which is the right thing to do, but I don’t want to be in that situation going forward. Ultimately, you want to be on the other side of that and making trades to win. That’s a lot better conversation to have with your manager and your fans when you’re adding something. Hopefully, we’re in that position.”

The Cubs have the opportunity to be in the postseason mix this year. As the Philadelphia Phillies proved last year, you only need to make the playoffs to have a shot. As the final Wild Card, the Phillies went on a run and took the Houston Astros all the way to Game 6 of the 2022 World Series before ultimately falling short. 

Come July, Chicago may just be one piece shy of becoming the next Cinderella story. 

We are entering a new era on the North Side. 

More From SI's Inside The Cubs

  1. Could Mike Trout Request a Trade to the Chicago Cubs?
  2. Did David Robertson Net the Cubs a Future Star in Ben Brown?
  3. Hoerner is the Cubs Shortstop of the Future
  4. Cubs Could Give Canario a Shot in September
  5. Could the Cubs Land Trea Turner in the Offseason?
  6. Chicago Cubs Have a New Top Prospect in Their Rankings
  7. Is This Top Cubs Prospect Destined for the Mound at Wrigley?
  8. Steele Offers Glimpse Into Future of Cubs Rotation
  9. Do the Chicago Cubs Have the National League's Best Bullpen?
  10. Can Christopher Morel be a Long-Term Solution in Center Field

Make sure to follow Inside the Cubs on Twitter!