With the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline firmly in sight, the national media focuses largely on big names like Manny Machado and Cole Hamels. But given the Chicago Cubs finite trade assets, they must be far more targeted to improve chances to win the division and go deep into the playoffs.
For instance, the Cubs’ young lineup performs well below league average against power arms but excels against all other types of pitchers. So adding someone like Toronto’s Josh Donaldson who features the same splits would expend limited resources while doing little to improve the team’s chances.
So what players should they target?