I’m still not giving up on this season — not in the era of three Wild Card teams, not with 96 games left, not when the Cubs have one of the weaker remaining strengths of schedule, and not with a team as theoretically talented as this one. But after officially passing the one-month marker since their last series win, including a handful of VERY winnable series, we’d be foolish not to at least start talking about the 2026 MLB Trade deadline … in the opposite direction.

If the Cubs sell, who could they sell and why?

Well, there are a few ways to think about this. First, the expiring contracts. There are a lot of them, and they could conceivably play a big role. Second would be the cost-controlled players that could make some sense. Here’s who I’d think would be available in each group. But I’ll warn you right now, the Cubs are probably still just as likely to add as subtract. And even if they do go for more of a subtraction approach, Jed Hoyer could still look to add cost-controlled talent because the team should be competitive next season.

If the Cubs Do Become SELLERS at the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline, Who Might They Trade? (via Michael Cerami)

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