Chicago’s trade deadline strategy hinges on a crucial six-week stretch. To become aggressive buyers, the North Siders need immediate turnarounds from struggling stars Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson.
The next six weeks are pivotal for the Chicago Cubs.
Despite coming off back-to-back series wins over the San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies, the Cubs need to play better baseball. How they perform from now until the August 3rd trade deadline will determine how aggressive the front office is in acquiring pieces.
If the Cubs want to emerge as big-time buyers, there are three players who must break out of their funk very soon. All three players have struggled lately and haven’t provided much for this team.
Nico Hoerner
Nico Hoerner has looked like a completely different hitter since being hit in the head by a pitch back on April 29. Hoerner is batting just .188 with seven doubles, eight RBI, and five stolen bases over his last 42 games.
He has been even worse in the month of June, as he is slashing .148/.203/.185 with two doubles and one RBI across 14 games this month. This recent stretch has dropped his batting average down to .233 on the season.
Hoerner has always been one of the Cubs' most consistent hitters at the plate. He batted .297 across 156 games in 2025 and had a .291 batting average in his first 31 games this season. Chicago needs him to figure it out quickly because he’s the engine of this offense.
Dansby Swanson
It’s clear that the Cubs are going to continue starting Dansby Swanson at shortstop. Although he owns a .176 batting average with a .598 OPS across 71 games this season, Chicago has no plans to move the veteran to more of a reserve role for the time being.
So, Swanson has to figure it out because he has become a major liability in the Cubs’ lineup. He is slashing just .137/.228/.235 with two home runs, four doubles, and five RBI over his last 32 games since May 10.
When Swanson is in a groove at the plate, it makes this offense much more dangerous. When he’s struggling like he has been for the past month, he looks like one of the worst hitters in baseball.
Caleb Thielbar
The Cubs re-signed Caleb Thielbar this past offseason to be that reliable bullpen arm. He finished with a 2.64 ERA and 56 strikeouts across 58 innings pitched last season. Unfortunately, Thielbar hasn't been able to replicate those numbers recently.
The southpaw has a 5.73 ERA over his last 12 relief appearances. He has allowed seven runs over his last 11 innings of work and has given up a run in three of his seven appearances in June.
The Cubs need Thielbar to be better moving forward. He hasn’t been as consistent on the mound this year, and his walk rate (11%) is way up from a season ago.
