AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

The Rundown: Crosstown Classic Looks Like Pre-Deadline Trap Series, Cubs Favorites to Land Gore, Revisiting 2008 In-Season Trades

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterJuly 25, 2025

“Time passes much too quickly when we’re together laughing.” – Beginnings by Chicago

It’s Crosstown Classic weekend and the White Sox are hot, while the second-place Cubs are not. I’m hoping the two teams work out a deal that allows Mike Tauchman to switch dugouts before today’s game. I doubt the South Siders would accept Vidal Bruján straight up, but one can dream.

The series no longer carries the cachet it did back in 1997, but it’s still a civil war for many baseball fans in Chicago. No one is more amped up than ex-Cub Dan Plesac, who has become a de facto mascot for the ChiSox. Perhaps it’s a good time for Chicago baseball fans to come together in peace and sportsmanlike camaraderie [cough, cough]. The Cubs visit Milwaukee to play the Brewers — another of Plesac’s former teams — after this weekend, so combined with Wednesday’s trade deadline, the ChiTown Classic has all the earmarks of a trap series.

Meanwhile, Milwaukee is hosting the hapless Marlins, who are looking to unload 20% or more of their roster in the next week. Tragically, Sunday is lining up like another bullpen game for Chicago’s North Side Baseballers with the added bonus of Mr. Bulk and Length Ben Brown. Yeah, that lacks the panache of the late Hulk Hogan, but it’s still a work in progress.

Not all is doom and gloom, however. Matt Shaw has found his inner Pete Crow-Armstrong and is on quite a heater. The rookie third baseman, who could be displaced by Eugenio Suárez, Ryan McMahon, Ke’Bryan Hayes, or Willi Castro, is hitting .474 with three homers and six RBI since the All-Star break.

Offense is not Chicago’s Achilles’ heel, however. The Cubs need a starter, possibly two, and preferably one who slots at or near the top of the rotation, plus some bullpen help. Therefore, a slugger to replace Shaw is probably a true luxury at this point. There is a growing feeling that MacKenzie Gore will be available, and he checks almost all of Chicago’s boxes. Gore is a burgeoning ace, but he’s also cost-controlled and cheap enough to let Jed Hoyer extend or re-sign Kyle Tucker.

Gore is facing the Twins tonight, which means he could theoretically take the bump for Chicago Wednesday night in Milwaukee. Hoyer would probably have to acquire Gore this weekend to have him ready to go. Why wait? Just get it done today. Convince the Nationals to take Brown in any deal, bump somebody up to pitch Sunday, and then let the newly-acquired 26-year-old lefty open the series at AmFam Field. Gore has been outstanding as a late-season starter (3.26 career ERA in 16 career starts after August 1), and he’s got a 1.50 ERA in two career starts against the Brewers.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

Cubs News & Notes

Ball Four

This kid looks like an adolescent Mickey Mantle. What form!

Central Intelligence

How About That!

The Mariners made the first notable move of Deadline Week, acquiring Josh Naylor from the Diamondbacks for pitchers Brandyn Garcia and Ashton Izzi. That should dispel any notion that Arizona was attempting to stay in this year’s Wild Card race. Suárez, Zac Gallen, and Merrill Kelly will likely follow Naylor out of town.

The Mets are no longer pursuing Suárez and will look for an outfielder and bullpen help instead.

Suárez has 55 home runs and 137 RBI in his last 161 games, and is on pace to become the first player traded during a 50-homer season since Mark McGwire in 1996. The Cubs and Yankees remain the favorites.

Pittsburgh’s 19-year-old shortstop Konnor Griffin is MLB Pipeline’s new No. 1 prospect.

Neil Paine, a former baseball data analyst for FiveThirtyEight, named CC Sabathia as the best in-season pickup since 1986. Sabathia was traded to the Brewers in 2008 and posted an earth-shattering 5.5 WAR after the trade. Chicago’s best pickup was Rich Harden, also in ’08, one of the better short-term moves Jim Hendry made as the Cubs’ GM.

That said, Hendry gave up Sean Gallagher, Eric Patterson, Matt Murton, and an unheralded catching prospect named Josh Donaldson, who posted 46.8 WAR in his 13-year career. The Cubs won the NL Central that year with Lou Piniella at the helm, but were swept 3-0 by the Dodgers in the Division Series.

The 2008 deadline is arguably the best ever. Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, and Manny Ramírez were all traded in a span of 25 days. The White Sox acquired Ken Griffey Jr. that year, and the Tigers added Ivan Rodríguez. Anthony Castrovince provided a ton of super cool detail in a piece from July of 2018 about the three biggest deals. Sorry for sounding a little Brett Taylor-ish there.

Extra Innings

Shawshank Redemption Tour!

They Said It

  • “The baseline at the deadline is an opportunity to improve your team. That’s both this year and in the future. It’s a time when the industry tends to make moves. It’s a transaction period for the industry. You just try to improve the team. There’s different thoughts about that. There’s developmental stuff. There’s the established player. There’s the young player. There’s all different ways to do that.” – Craig Counsell
  • “[Trades] will pick up as we go, but I always caution you guys that, yes, there’ll be some deals, but the expectation, always, is that things happen the last couple days. This is the nature of a deadline.” – Hoyer

Friday Walk-Up Song

My best friend is getting married tomorrow, so I’m looking at quite an expensive weekend. The groomsmen, including me, are wearing all-white tuxedos. No freak-off jokes, please, and thank you.

I’ll be at Wicked Hop tonight for the rehearsal party, then at Discovery Center for tomorrow’s event. Check my social media for lots of pictures.

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterJuly 25, 2025
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