Cubs Executive Says Not to Expect Major Trade Until Closer to Deadline Date

The Chicago Cubs are expected by many to be one of the most aggressive teams at the trade deadline, which is now just a few weeks away with the calendar reading July.

As June came to a close, rumors ran rampant that the Cubs were going to try to make a move well before the deadline and are trying to upgrade now rather than waiting.

While they may be making calls, it probably is not wise for fans to be refreshing their news feed waiting for an early move, at least according to the man who is in charge.

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Speaking to media, including ESPN's Jesse Rogers, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer painted a more realistic picture of what kind of timeline the team could be looking at for making their big moves.

"We've had a lot of conversations with teams," Hoyer said in reference to the rumors that Chicago is about to make a move imminently. "These things ramp up, they take a little break at draft time, then they ramp up again after that. When it comes to acquiring depth, we're on the lookout. We're talking, but with the realization these things trend towards late July."

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It's no secret -- and Hoyer has essentially said as much himself -- that the Cubs are going to try to add pitching help both in the bullpen and starting rotation.

While the bullpen has been much better over the last two months and actually now ranks second in all of Major League Baseball in ERA as a unit, the starting rotation is still in desperate need of an injection of healthy, quality innings.

With a 4.27 ERA as a staff, the rotation ranks outside the top-20 in baseball and is simply not deep enough to make the kind of run Chicago hopes to make this October.

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The range of rumored trade size has varied tremendously from huge blockbusters which instantly change the outlook of the staff with a new ace to more minor additions that may or may not move the needle.

Fans will want to see someone like Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara or Arizona Diamondbacks star Zac Gallen, but which direction the Cubs actually take is anyone's guess right now.

The draft occurs over the All-Star break in two weeks in Atlanta, and if no move takes place before then, look for things to really heat up from there.

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Hoyer seems to be working hard trying to make upgrades, but giving up too much for a player just for the sake of being the first domino to fall is not a long-term winning strategy.

Chicago is going to make moves.

But it's simply a matter of "when" rather than an "if" like it was in most years.

If Hoyer and Chicago wind up making the right kind of moves and provide serious upgrades to the weaknesses of a team that is in first place, World Series contention is not out of the question by any means.

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