For Cubs, best deadline strategy is extending the window; Soroka hurt in Cubs loss
One strange thing about being a sports executive, a vital part of the job usually stays hidden.
Bad trades you don't make are often the difference between success and failure, but rarely is any credit given.
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer has taken some heat for failing to land a top-of-the-line starting pitcher before last week's trade deadline. But it's possible he did the right thing.
It didn't show Monday. The Cubs collected just 3 hits and lost to Cincinnati 3-2 at Wrigley Field. One of the new additions, pitcher Michael Soroka, made his Cubs debut, but left after two innings with shoulder discomfort. He's headed for the injured list.
“Just said he let a pitch go in the second inning and it just didn't feel good,” manager Craig Counsell said. “Finished the inning, but came in the dugout and said the shoulder was not feeling good. So it's an IL and we'll see what the next steps are.”
Added Soroka, “I do hope this is a quick visit to the IL. I'm going to be working with the staff day and night to get back out there.”
Soroka actually lasted longer than Reds starter Nick Lodolo, who exited the mound after 1 2/3 innings due to a blister on his left index finger. Still, the slumping Cubs offense managed just 3 hits.
Dansby Swanson provided the offense with a 2-run homer in the third. He later appeared to drive in the tying run in the seventh by beating out a chopper to third, but replay revealed Swanson's foot landed short of first base and the original safe call was overturned.
Ben Brown pitched well in relief of Soroka, but two swinging bunt singles helped the Reds score single runs in the sixth and seventh to take the lead.
Getting back to the trade deadline, there is a correct answer to the dilemma of how aggressive a team should be: It's better to create a window of opportunity to compete for a World Series than go “all-in” to try to win in a particular year.
The keys to advancing in the baseball playoffs are healthy pitching and clutch hitting. Open the door wide, compete as often as possible and maybe one year everything will fall into place.
The Cubs have their own example of this, when they traded Dylan Cease and Eloy Jimenez for pitcher Jose Quintana in 2017. Quintana was a decent player, so this trade wasn't awful, but the Cubs shortened their window for returning to the World Series by doing this.
Another example is San Diego, which has one of the more aggressive execs in the game in A.J. Preller. Some might say Preller and the Padres “won” the trade deadline by dealing for Washington's Juan Soto in 2022.
But imagine where the Padres might be if they hadn't made the Soto trade? On the outbound train, they sent three players who have become all stars — pitcher MacKenzie Gore, a player the Cubs were rumored to be chasing; outfielder James Wood and shortstop C.J. Abrams.
Soto helped get San Diego to the 2022 NLCS, but lost to the Phillies and Soto had to go before he became a free agent. The Padres got a couple useful pitchers from the Yankees in that deal, though one of them, Michael King, has been on the injured list since May.
San Diego got pitcher Drew Thorpe from the Yankees and flipped him to the White Sox for Cease. But that trade hasn't worked out great since Cease's ERA ballooned to 4.60 this season.
A better criticism of the Cubs would be the bullpen budget from last winter. They pursued Padres closer Tanner Scott in free-agency, but were outbid by the Dodgers and ended up landing Ryan Pressly in a trade with Houston.
Scott has been disappointing in Los Angeles. Pressly, meanwhile, had some good moments, but was released by the Cubs last week.
The thing is, there were other options. Carlos Estevez signed with Kansas City for $22 million for two years, plus an option. He has 28 saves and a 2.64 ERA. Washington's Kyle Finnegan (20 saves, 4.38 ERA) was also available and re-signed with the Nationals for one year, then was traded to Detroit last week.
Hoyer did a nice job scrambling to find bullpen help. But the point is, the Cubs should have done better with their primary acquisitions this winter.
If keeping top prospects like Owen Caissie, Moises Ballesteros and Jaxon Wiggins through last week's deadline lengthens the Cubs' window to compete, then Hoyer did the smart thing.