Will the Cubs be buyers or sellers? Hawkins admits season could still go either way
The Cubs midseason plan could be a natural discussion for CNBC or Bloomberg News.
Will they be buyers or sellers? Bulls or bears? Will another rate hike by the Fed cause ownership slash payroll?
Every possibility remains on the table, though the Cubs are quickly squandering the positive momentum they carried into London last weekend.
Starting pitcher Drew Smyly was hit hard and the Cubs fell behind early for the second straight night since returning to the States. A comeback attempt never gained traction and the Cubs were dealt their third straight loss, 8-5 to the Philadelphia Phillies at Wrigley Field.
Smyly surrendered 5 runs in the second inning, on a 2-run homer to former Cardinal Edmundo Sosa, then a 3-run shot by former Cub Nick Castellanos which barely reached the left-field basket. Former White Sox second baseman Josh Harrison later added a solo homer. Smyly was tagged with 7 earned runs in less than 4 innings.
The Cubs got solo homers from Jared Young and Dansby Swanson. Young launched a rocket deep into the right-field bleachers in his first Cubs at-bat of the season.
After pulling within 8-4 in the fifth inning, the Cubs had runners on second and third with one out, but Phillies starter Aaron Nola coaxed a bouncer to the mound from Swanson and infield pop up to Cody Bellinger. Miguel Amaya scored on a passed ball in the ninth inning for the fifth run.
Before the game, Cubs general manager Carter Hawkins talked about that midseason wish list.
Optimism grew when the Cubs went 11-2 prior to this three-game skid, but the momentum has disappeared into the smokey haze at Wrigley this week.
Asked what management needs to see, Hawkins answered, "More of the same, right? That consistency of putting together all three phases of our game. Obviously, that leads to wins, wins lead to improving our playoff odds and if we do that more and more, it puts us in position to buy. So I think if we continue to see that, we'll be in a really good place."
Of course, it's one thing to wish for playoff contention. Putting together a deal to bring back bullpen help or a reliable bat will be tricky. The Cubs just reloaded the farm system and may not have the depth to trade away any top prospects.
"The nerd in me here, and I guess there's a lot of nerd in me, you think of decisions, and you think of reversible decisions and irreversible decisions," Hawkins said. "Making a trade is an irreversible decision. Any high leverage, irreversible decision, you want to wait as long as you possibly can.
"The more data we can get, the more information we can get, the better. Sometimes you can't wait any longer and you make a decision before all of the information is out there. But in a perfect world, you have as much info as you can before you make a decision like that."
The trade deadline isn't until Aug. 1, so the Cubs have some time to assess where they are in the NL Central race. Even with this week's slippage, they'll have a chance to gain ground with four games in Milwaukee next week.
When meeting with fans in London, chairman Tom Ricketts told the crowd the Cubs plan to be buyers at the deadline. Hawkins added an addendum.
"If this stays consistent and we continue to win at the rate we've been winning, that's where we'll be," he said. "That's our plan, to make that happen."
The Cubs' best prospect, center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, moved into the top 10 by MLB Pipeline, but Hawkins said there's no urgency to move him up from Double A Tennessee right now.
"PCA right now is on a really good trajectory, just in terms of what he's been able to do offensively," Hawkins said. "His walk rate has gone up, his plate discipline has been really good, his defense has continued to be at the high clip he already was at.
"So from that standpoint, we're just really excited about what he's doing right now in Double A. I think those conversations (about rising to Triple A) will start probably toward the second half here, but right now we're just excited about the progress he's making."