It Is Trade Deadline Day! Yes, the Cubs Will Make Another Move, and Other Bullets

July 31, 2018, by Brett Taylor Chicago Cubs

I was fighting it hard this morning, so I headed out for the lake, where I’m working now. The breeze and the fresh air are picking me back up.

OK. The day is here. The Trade Deadline. Last call for teams that want to make swaps without having to worry about the waiver process, which makes all but a few very specific kinds of deals impossible. I still very much anticipate the Cubs adding another reliever before today’s 3pm CT deadline, because there are simply far too many decent options available to not take advantage. With Brandon Morrow still on the shelf and a rotation that leaves the best part of the bullpen routinely exposed, the Cubs simply have to make another addition, and then figure out the way the roster fits later on.
As for that reliever, while I suppose it’s possible it could be one of the few big-timers left (controllable, too), I tend to think the Cubs will instead focus on getting a good deal – solid, unsexy, doesn’t rip open the rebuilding farm system, but still adds quality depth to the bullpen.
Yu Darvish’s agent responded harshly to Alex Rodriguez’s reporting on Darvish’s rehab and its impact on the clubhouse, as you’d expect. Doug Glanville talked about it at NBC Sports Chicago, and it’s kind of difficult to boil it down to just a little bullet point or two, especially when no one outside of the clubhouse truly knows what’s going on, both in terms of how Darvish is feeling and how the other players are feeling. It definitely makes for a good listen, though, because Glanville always brings a thoughtful perspective.
It’s worth it:

Kyle McAleer, the bucket-wearing Cubs fan hit by falling debris at Wrigley last week, said he's lucky to be alive.

"It might’ve fractured my skull. It definitely could've been fatal. I am extremely lucky."https://t.co/hctdTe5YhO via @PWSullivan pic.twitter.com/dmUDFTsJJj

— Amanda Kaschube (@amandakaschube) July 30, 2018

Sean Doolittle put something incredibly challenging into a clear, powerful thread of tweets that I strongly encourage everyone to head to Twitter to read:

This thread is as good as it gets. https://t.co/f8XzuDDeQ2

— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) July 30, 2018

Sean Doolittle is gonna get a big ass standing ovation the next time he pitches at Nats Park https://t.co/iKeLuewFHO

— Dan Steinberg (@dcsportsbog) July 31, 2018

The A’s are trying something revolutionary *instead of* having season tickets, which are now a thing of the past for them:

A’s canceling traditional season-ticket program and going to a membership program instead: pic.twitter.com/LRZ9juNtnh

— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) July 30, 2018

Obviously you couldn’t do away with the season tickets at Wrigley Field, but maybe you could have some kind of other “membership” program?
The MLB Shop flipped some extra stuff to clearance today, so you may want to do some perusing in that section.

Filed to: Chicago Cubs