The Chicago Cubs have been one of the most hot-and-cold teams in the MLB this season. They put together a pair of 10-game winning streaks earlier in the season, then went 7-22 for a stretch and have since won 15 of their last 21 contests.
The end result is a 49-40 record heading into play against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, as the Cubs are aiming to avoid the sweep against their hated rivals.
Chicago is right in the thick of the National League playoff picture, as it holds one of the three Wild Card spots with the All-Star break right around the corner.
Nevertheless, the Cubs have some potentially crippling problems that must be addressed before the trade deadline, one of which is their starting rotation.
Chicago attempted to address its pitching staff during the offseason by acquiring Edward Cabrera from the Miami Marlins, sending top outfield prospect Owen Caissie to the Marlins in return.
And what has that gotten the Cubs? A pair of IL stints as a well as a 5.10 ERA from Cabrera, who was coming off of the best season of his career in 2025.
Meanwhile, Caissie is on a tear in Miami, having already collected 49 RBI. He posted an .835 OPS in the month of May, an .865 OPS in June and is slashing .317/.351/.617 with runners in scoring position.
Caissie was long touted as one of Chicago’s top farmhands, but after Cabrera tallied a 3.53 ERA in South Beach a year ago, the Cubs made peace with giving him up for the right-hander.
To make matters worse, another one of the Marlins’ pitchers the Cubbies have coveted, former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara, is almost certainly not getting dealt before Aug. 3.
Miami went 20-6 in June and is smack dab in the middle of the NL playoff race, and Alcantara has played a significant role in the Marlins’ big move. The chances of the Fish moving the 30-year-old seem very slim at this point, removing another potential rotation option for the Cubs.
The Marlins have been a thorn in Chicago’s side for decades. Everyone remembers Miami’s seven-game NLCS win over the Cubs back in 2003, and the Marlins then beat Chicago in the playoffs yet again in 2023.
Now, the Fish may have ripped off the Cubbies in a trade, and they likely just removed a top Cubs target from the trade block.
