Cubs await trade deadline after close loss to Yankees

Starting pitcher Colin Rea, like many of his Cubs teammates, insists he hasn’t paid too much attention to Monday afternoon’s MLB trade deadline.

“I haven’t spent too much time thinking about it, me personally,” Rea said after the Cubs’ 2-1 loss to the New York Yankees on Sunday at Wrigley Field. “I think we’re so focused on the day-to-day and trying to win each game. It’s not like we have a day off to think about it.”

But Monday’s deadline seemed to hover over Wrigley Field, especially as the rest of the league had a jump start on moves in the last 24 hours.

The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired arguably the best pitcher available, trading for Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, the reigning two-time AL Cy Young Award winner. The left-hander will make his Dodgers debut on Tuesday against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

“I didn’t have a reaction,” Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong said of the Skubal trade. “Has nothing to do with me. It’ll be fun to face him.

“I haven’t gotten to face him since last year. Big fan of his as a person and as a competitor as well. Cool.”

The Cubs were in the trade conversation a bit on Sunday, when they shipped right-hander Jameson Taillon and cash considerations to the Toronto Blue Jays for cash or a player to be named later. Taillon was designated for assignment last week amid a season where he has a 5.92 ERA and has given up the fourth-most home runs in baseball.

But the expectation is that Cubs President Jed Hoyer and his front office will add — not subtract — more arms before Monday’s deadline.

“I think we still put ourselves in a position to go get some pieces that would only end up helping this squad,” Crow-Armstrong said. “We’re already in really good shape in terms of who we have and the type of people that we have, the type of competitors.

“I think any addition would be that — it would be great. We’ll see what happens, but we still got to go play ball, so whatever happens, happens.”

Pitching additions would come despite what the Cubs’ arms have done over the weekend against the Yankees. They allowed six runs in the three-game set, losing two of three to the Yankees. Rea was solid on Sunday, allowing just two runs in six innings and matching a season-high with seven strikeouts.

Since July 24, when the Cubs began a 17-game stretch without a day off, their pitchers have a 2.27 ERA, the second-best mark in the majors, behind the Yankees. But the Cubs still have 13 pitchers on the injured list and would like to add more in the arms race that’s accelerated since the Dodgers’ splash on Saturday night.

“The reason why the deadline is maybe a little different than five years ago is you can’t add any more players,” Craig Counsell said on Friday, before the Yankees series began. “So this is your organization.

“From Jed’s perspective, that’s the biggest deal is this is your team for the next two-plus months. In a previous iteration of the rules, there was an Aug. 31 date that extended this that I think changed things quite a bit.”

There was still a game on Sunday, and despite the Cubs’ pitching performance, the offense was kept in check for a second day in a row. They mustered just four hits, but threatened because they drew six walks, including three from Crow-Armstrong, the fourth time this season he’s drawn three free passes. They were 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position, and none of them hurt more than Nico Hoerner’s at-bat in the sixth inning.

Hoerner coaxed a 3-0 count with two outs and the bases loaded in a 2-1 game, then took a fastball that was out of the zone but called strike one. The second baseman, who is 6-for-14 on challenges this season, didn’t appeal the call and flew out to center one pitch later.

“I’m sure Nico’s looked at it and wished he would have challenged,” Counsell said. “I think you can go up there trying to get a good pitch to hit, and in the background is the rest.

“There’s a lot going on when you’re in the batter’s box. When you come back to the dugout, and you look at the strike zone and you see it’s a ball, you’re kicking yourself.”

And much like the trade deadline, the Cubs won’t worry about not challenging that play too much. To them, Monday is just the start of a new series, and maybe some new faces will join them.

“Even tonight, it’s thinking about the Dodgers coming out here tomorrow,” Rea said. “I think that’s where we’re at, and the other stuff (is) more front office and stuff.”