Cubs trade rumors tracker: Will Jed Hoyer and the Cubs sell at the deadline?

The Chicago Cubs trade rumors are going to picking up now that we’ve entered July. They were hoping they’d be getting ready to tap into the trade market for some additions when the calendar flipped. Instead, it’s getting harder to argue that they should be making any additions at all.

There aren’t a ton of sellable assets on the current Cubs roster. Things like long-term, big money deals, no-trade clauses and underperformance might make it harder to recoup as much value as they could for major league pieces. This team wasn’t really built to sell.

But that might be the course of action if this club doesn’t turn things around in July. Until we know for sure what direction they go before the July 30 deadline, here’s CHGO’s hub for tracking Cubs trade rumors.

Cubs trade rumors: Hoyer does not rule out selling at deadline (June 28)

RUMOR: Speaking in Milwaukee on June 28, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer didn’t completely rule out the team being sellers.

ANALYSIS: What a wild ride the last two months has been for the Cubs. On April 26, when they were 17-9, there couldn’t have been many who even considered they’d be selling at the deadline. Even in May and early June, the talk was more about “the Cubs need to turn this around so they don’t fall too far back in the standings” versus “the Cubs need to turn it around so they don’t force Jed to sell.”

But this is where we’re at now. Instead of being asked what the Cubs are looking to add before the deadline, Hoyer is getting questions about if selling is even off the table anymore — and he is far from saying that isn’t an option.

“I mean, we have to play well this month,” Hoyer said. “I think you have to be a realist when you get to that point. That’s not where we are mentally. But yeah, always in this job, you have to be a realist. You have to make the best decisions for the organization based on the hand you’re dealt that year. We’ll see where that is.”

Cubs trade rumors: Yankees, Rangers among teams reportedly scouting Cubs (June 28)

RUMOR: The Athletic reported on June 28 that, as the Cubs have struggled and have lost ground in the playoff race, teams such as the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers “have recently had a noticeable scouting presence around the club.”

ANALYSIS: Ultimately, this makes sense. A team like the Cubs going in the wrong direction as the trade deadline approaches should mean other clubs are checking in. The Rangers are a bit of a surprise, considering their record (38-46) and their place in the standings (eight games back in both the AL West and the AL wild card) entering July 1. But the Yankees are one of the top teams in MLB; them taking a look is not surprising at all.

The Athletic’s piece also mentions Cody Bellinger as someone whose name may get discussed more around the deadline if the Cubs’ ship keeps sinking. He was a trade candidate last season before the Cubs rattled off enough wins to keep the front office from selling, with New York reportedly being one of the interested ball clubs.

Bellinger is productive at the plate, and he’s the rare player who can provide reliable defense at all three outfield positions and first base. However, he’s not necessarily having the kind of season (109 wRC+, 1.0 fWAR entering July 1) that’s living up to the three-year, $80 million contract he signed during the offseason.

Any acquiring team would take on a player with a deal that could make him a rental for the rest of this season or could guarantee him a lot of money if he doesn’t exercise his opt outs after either 2024 or ’25. That will be a consideration.