The Slumping Cubs Are Making Trade Calls, But That Doesn't Mean A Deal is Coming

Chicago Cubs president Jed Hoyer was brutally honest this week when joining 104.3 The Score. Not only did the long-time executive not shy away from calling out his team's underwhelming play, but he also didn't shy away from questions about possible trade deadline solutions.

Indeed, Hoyer admitted that the front office has picked up the phone in recent weeks. But that doesn't mean Cubs fans should be expecting reinforcements any time soon – at least not the kind that would drastically change the team's fate.

“The reality is we’ve had discussions about, candidly, guys that are probably struggling with their teams," Hoyer said. "Maybe there would be a buy-low opportunity. We’ve had some of those discussions.

But the reality is that to go out and get someone that is pitching well early in the season, it’s just not realistic. If you look around baseball for a team to sell a starting pitcher for prospects this time of year is just unbelievably unusual. For the most part, teams would wait to get a higher price, if they know they were going to sell. Right now, I think there are a lot of teams that simply don’t know.”

Hoyer proceeded to compare where the league currently is in its schedule to week five or six in the NFL slate. He insisted that most teams, even those drastically on the wrong side of the win-loss column, have yet to hit the panic button. The American League was specifically noted, as Hoyer mentioned how it may take far fewer wins to crack the postseason in that conference and thus convince teams to hold out on trades.

All fair points. Not to mention, up until very recently, the Cubs have done a good job at finding internal solutions. Hoyer even highlighted that and suggested that this will likely continue to be the team's approach over the next month or so. Jordan Wicks incoming?

Still, it's hard to ignore just how rough things have been for this squad over the last week-plus. They have dropped back-to-back series to heated rivals, which included getting swept by the Milwaukee Brewers. The offense has been downright frigid, while the starting pitching has continued to look shaky at best. It's easy to keep your head on straight now and preach patience, but that's only going to become harder the more losses stack up.

Could the Cubs' Change Their Tune?

Sep 23, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs president Jed Hoyer talks to the press before a game against the New York Mets at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

For what it's worth, The Athletic also reported this week that the Chicago Cubs have been active. Jim Bowden said they have already been making calls about starting pitching help and that he expects the team to bring one in between now and the deadline.

Is it possible that the Cubs have only looked into the buy-low candidates that Hoyer mentioned on air? Sure. But it's also possible that a savvy executive isn't trying to tip his hand. The Cubs have a very obvious need, and they are also a very obvious contender. So, why wouldn't they be investigating some of the better options on the market?

At the end of the day, it just feels hard to completely rule out a move happening sooner rather than later. All it takes is one conversation to gain some traction for hands to suddenly shake. Heck, even if a trade does follow a more traditional timeline, it feels pretty likely that Hoyer is looking into some of the top arms available right now. This is a perfect time to lay the groundwork for a future deal!

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