Chicago Cubs Listed Among Teams Most Likely to Sell at Trade Deadline

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The Chicago Cubs are playing well right now. They sit just 3.5 games behind the Cincinnati Reds for the National League Central lead, have won three games in a row and have won eight of their last 10.
In fact, it prompted us here at Inside the Cubs to determine whether they could actually be buyers at the year's MLB trade deadline.
However, according to The New York Post, that doesn't appear to be the case. In their recent article, they have placed the Cubs with the third-best odds to sell at 40-percent.
Very scientific of course.
The players that The New York Post deem could bring in "a haul" are Marcus Stroman and Cody Bellinger.
It lists Drew Smyly as a player that could bring in "half a haul."
And Kyle Hendricks, Yan Gomes, Patrick Wisdom as players who would bring in "something."
If you feel more enlightened now than you were before, you're welcome. We are still trying to figure out the units of "haul" and "something" and if those are related to any other measurable quantity we have in our known universe.
Still searching.
But it does highlight the fact that Chicago does have some trade chips they can move. Some are worth more than others.
And as mentioned in our latest article, there is a scenario in which the Cubs do move players but still remain competitive this season and position themselves even better for next.
It's all about managing expectations. Something Cubs fans have been doing for decades.
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Kade Kistner is the publisher and beat writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Cubs. An alumnus of Tulane University, Kade graduated in 2017 with a degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, Kade commissioned into the United States Navy and attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fl. He served as a Naval Aviator and was stationed in Jacksonville, Fl. During his time in school and the Navy, Kade began covering the MLB and NFL with USA Today, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated. Kade covered the New Orleans Saints, Texas Rangers, and numerous other teams within the Sports Illustrated network before launching Inside the Phillies, Inside the Astros, and Inside the Cubs. You can follow him on Twitter at @KadeKistner, or if you have any questions or comments he can be reached via email at kwkistner@gmail.com.