Jed Hoyer on Cubs’ Deadline Plans: ’11 Games Changes a Lot of Things’

As if you didn’t know it already, Jed Hoyer just pretty much came out and said the Cubs are going to be sellers at the deadline. Thought by just about everyone to be looking to add following a big May that saw them jump into contention for more than just the division title, a shaky June started to change the calculus even before their recently-concluded 11-game losing streak finished the equation.

https://twitter.com/MLBastian/status/1413252933001654276?s=20

“I’ve always said you try not to look at the standings too much,” Hoyer told the media prior to Thursday’s game with the Phillies. “I think you have to look at what kind of baseball you’re playing, and we came off an 11-game losing streak. So listen, we’ve believed in these guys since 2015. They’ve had a ton of success and I would never count these guys out.

“But 11 days ago we were certainly fully on the buy-side of this transaction and everyone was calling about that. Obviously, now people are calling to see which players are available, so it’s a very different scenario than we expected and, you know, life comes at you fast. You know, 11 days ago that’s not where we were mentally and obviously 11 games certainly changes a lot of things.”

Rather than wax intellectual about the greater ramifications of a deadline firesale or discussing which players are most likely to moved where and for whom, I’m just going to let Hoyer’s words stand more or less on their own. It’s pretty clear the Cubs as we’ve known them for the last five years or so are coming to an end. Exactly how that plays out is yet to be seen, but we’re going to see the teardown over the next three weeks.

All things considered, I’d be surprised if the July 31 trade deadline itself holds a great deal of meaning for Hoyer. He just chummed the water and it sounds as though he’s ready to get started with the moves so he can get to whatever the next stage is.