Craig Counsell confident in Cubs however trade deadline goes

Patrick Gorski-Imagn ImagesIn the hours before Sunday’s game against the Yankees, the buzz in the baseball air was all focused on what will happen the following afternoon when the trade deadline passes. Cubs manager Craig Counsell at least projects an almost indifferent air.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Asked about the news that broke Saturday night of Tarik Skubal being traded to the Dodgers, Counsell quipped that he was amost asleep for the night when he found out. And when he saw the news?

class="wp-block-paragraph">“I fell asleep five minutes later,” Counsell said.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Of course, it’s not that Counsell is actually indifferent to what happens at the trade deadline, but he’s content to trust the decision-making to the front office and focus on the team that he has in the locker room, however it might look from Sunday to after the trade deadline.

class="wp-block-paragraph">The Cubs traded Jameson Taillon to the Blue Jays in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations in the middle of Sunday’s game, a move that is likely just the first domino. Given the injuries to the pitching staff — the rotation, especially — the Cubs are expected to be active on that front.

class="wp-block-paragraph">That said, the deal the Cubs make might not be the kind of high-profile move fans are hoping for. Because they need more than one arm, they may have to pursue trades for a few under-the-radar pitchers. Their June 25 trade with the Mets for David Peterson is a good model. Not the kind of move that lights up the newsreels, but by season’s end, the Cubs will be much better suited to have success in the postseason.

class="wp-block-paragraph">But for Counsell, he’s not overly concerned with the fuss of the trade deadline. It’s an important marker in the season, sure, but Counsell doesn’t think his team is in need of an early-August jolt brought on by a big name trade.

class="wp-block-paragraph">“In the end, we’re really proud of how we go out and compete every day,” he said. “And I don’t think anything’s going to change that.”

class="wp-block-paragraph">Counsell said he doesn’t do a lot of chiming in on possible trade deadline moves to his front office, nor does he put a lot of stock in the magnitude of what deals that group does or does not strike.

class="wp-block-paragraph">“I’ve been in deadlines where nothing happens, and we get a lot better,” Counsell said. “It’s just a snapshot in time, and then you’ve got to go play the games, and that’s really the most important thing. [The trade deadline] is not even a game, you know what I mean? The games are the most important thing, so I don’t look at it like that, and not that one day is ever going to [change everything].”

Charles LeClaire-Imagn ImagesOn one hand, Counsell has the right perspective for a manager. Whatever his roster looks like, his job is to try to win with it. And thus far, the Cubs have done just fine that regard. With Sunday’s 2-1 loss to the Yankees, Counsell’s team is 14 games above .500 and holding firmly to the top wild card spot.

class="wp-block-paragraph">This group has proven that they can weather the storms of an injury-addled pitching staff and a prolonged cold stretch that had them go 13-16 in May. They’re otherwise playing at a 17 games above .500 clip. From a supremely optimistic standpoint, the National League Central isn’t yet out of reach.

class="wp-block-paragraph">But on the other hand, the greater question is not whether the Cubs can get back into the playoffs via a wild card spot. They showed last season that they can do that. They’ve already shown they can do that and advance to within a game of the championship series. The reality is that the Cubs have been looking up at the Brewers for a number of years now, and going further in the postseason than they do — whether that involves going through them or not — has sort of become the standard.

class="wp-block-paragraph">That means the upcoming trade deadline is at least somewhat about putting the Cubs in a position to do more than what they accomplished in 2025. However confident in his team Counsell might be, the reality remains that the trade deadline is about taking this already good team and making it better. Not just for the rest of August and September, but to be able to do more in the playoffs than win a wild card series.

class="wp-block-paragraph">The decision to designate Taillon for assignment a week ago likely signified that the Cubs’ front office is prepared to be aggressive at this deadline, even if it doesn’t necessarily include a move for one of the top tier pitchers on the market.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Whatever does happen, the attitude among the players in the clubhouse — at least outwardly — mirrors that of their manager.

class="wp-block-paragraph">“I haven’t spent too much time thinking about it,” Colin Rea said of the trade deadline. “I think we’re so focused on the day to day and trying to win each game. It’s not like we have a day off to think about it. Even tonight it’s thinking about the Dodgers coming in here tomorrow, so I think that’s where we’re at.”

class="wp-block-paragraph">That said, the Cubs are almost certainly going to do something before the 5 p.m. CT deadline passes on Monday. Though Counsell’s Cubs have been very successful so far this season and in a position to be buyers at the deadline despite the injuries to the pitching staff, the next seven weeks of baseball are a test for any ballclub, and there are still areas of need that can be addressed.

class="wp-block-paragraph">“There was a lot of criticism when we weren’t really putting up runs and weren’t winning games, and I think we still put ourselves in a position to go get some pieces that would only end up helping this squad,” Pete Crow-Armstrong said. “I think we’re already in really good shape in terms of who we have and the type of people that we have, the type of competitors. So I think any addition would be great, and we’ll see what happens.

class="wp-block-paragraph">“But we still got to go play ball, so whatever happens, happens.”