AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson

The Rundown: Expect High Premium on Pitching Acquisitions, Boyd Vintage in Win Over Orioles, Verlander set to Retire

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterJuly 8, 2026

“Gotta keep rollin’, gotta keep ridin’; keep searchin’ ’til I find what’s right.’ – Roll Me Away by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band

The dog days of baseball used to pertain to late August games as teams started falling out of their respective races. That’s shifted to the week before the All-Star break in recent years, specifically because of events like the Draft, the Futures Game, and the Home Run Derby. Most of us who write for or visit this site are already looking forward to the four-day break. Heck, I may go to a water park for a few days.

It doesn’t help that the Cubs are playing meaningless games against the Orioles, though it is fun to see the Brewers pummeling the Cardinals. We know Chicago’s best hope of making the playoffs is as a Wild Card entry, and it holds the top spot in that race for a first-round homefield advantage. The Cubs would host the Phillies for the entirety of that three-game set if the season ended today, though a date with the Dodgers probably awaits the winner. St. Louis is on the outside looking in and fading fast.

Getting to the postseason is one thing, but going on a deep run presents a much more daunting challenge. The Cubs just don’t have the pitching to match up with the best National League teams. Lack of development is the biggest reason, and Chicago has very little to count on in the minors. That leaves Jed Hoyer in the awkward position of improving the rotation without acquiring rentals, meaning Tarik Skubal, Sonny Gray, and Freddy Peralta are unlikely pursuits, no matter what the analysts say.

A similar scenario played out last year, when Hoyer seemed more interested in MacKenzie Gore, Mitch Keller, Edward Cabrera, and Sandy Alcántara. The cost to acquire those starters was deemed much too high, so Reid Detmers or Joe Ryan are probably long shots this year, too. Cabrera cost the Cubs Owen Caissie over the winter, and Detmers and Ryan will be similarly expensive. Chicago’s farm system is much better than it was last year, but it still lacks the depth to make those types of bold moves.

Past experience is never an indicator of future moves, though it does provide a cogent baseline. Hoyer isn’t one to hoard prospects, but he won’t give them away. A bold move like trading for Skubal isn’t happening unless he’s the guy who gets Chicago a championship. Trading for Aroldis Chapman in 2016 was therefore justified because he was that difference-maker. He wasn’t cheap, but flags fly forever, and nobody regrets that trade today.

The point I am trying to make is that David Peterson could very well be the most significant addition to the Cubs’ rotation. Hoyer and Craig Counsell will instead go to war with Cabrera, Matthew Boyd, Shōta Imanaga, and Jameson Taillon. It’s folly at this point to count on Justin Steele or Ben Brown. Boyd, Imanaga, and Taillon are all free agents after this season. That’s when the Cubs will pursue the likes of Skubal, Ryan, and Gray, or pay up for Detmers. Boyd could very likely return after this season, too. He loves it here, and the feeling within the organization is mutual.

Outslugging their opponents is thus the Cubs’ easiest path toward postseason longevity. That’s a much more difficult task once October arrives, but the Cubs aren’t built to win low-scoring games. Boyd pitched well in last night’s 5-2 win over the Orioles, and he’s more likely to be Chicago’s Game 1 starter than anybody currently employed elsewhere.

Cubs News & Notes

  • Boyd was in vintage form against the Orioles Tuesday night.
  • The Cubs and LHP Josh Fleming agreed to terms on a minor league deal. He’ll join Liam Hendriks, Aaron Bummer, and what seems like a cast of thousands as emergency depth options.
  • Counsell said the Cubs are not prioritizing starters over relievers in talks with other teams.
  • Pete Crow-Armstrong continues to get better and is standing at the precipice of the type of career stardom generally tied to the game’s elite players.
  • Alex Bregman told 104.3 The Score’s Bruce Levine that Crow-Armstrong is a different player this year. “Pete is now looking for that one pitch to drive. The swing and miss decreases, [and] the walk [rate] increases. He is looking for one good pitch and now he destroys it.”
  • Bregman has struggled, but he’s been an obvious boost to his teammates.
  • Bregman also told Levine that he’s made some adjustments since the Cubs took two of three from the Brewers last week, particularly with his swing decisions. The third baseman is hitting .286/.394/.894/149 wRC+ in 33 PAs since then. It’s a small sample size, no doubt, but adding 75-100 points to his current OPS+ (.689) would be significant.
  • Resiliency continues to define this Cubs season. While that’s a strong trait for any team, it does present its challenges, too, especially when chasing a championship.
  • Chicago’s bullpen has been a work in progress all season. That’s mostly due to injuries, but it did open up opportunities for several journeymen, including Ryan Rolison. He’s earned a place in Counsell’s circle of trust.
  • How much do we love Steele?
  • The MLB Draft is a few days away, and Chicago’s front office might shift away from its previous strategy of taking the best player available in an attempt to build pitching prospect depth. Cubs vice president of scouting Dan Kantrovitz said last week that “you can’t take good pitching if you don’t take pitching.”
  • If Kantrovitz is serious, the Cubs could have a shot at one of Cameron Flukey, Tegan Kuhns, Mason Edwards, Cade Townsend, or Cole Carlon.
  • The Cubs have the 23rd pick in Saturday’s draft and four in the top 100. They also own picks 62, 75 (compensation for Kyle Tucker), and 98.

Ball Four

No PCA or Bobby Witt Jr.? Greg Amsinger obviously knows little about baseball. He named Dillon Dingler, Miguel Vargas, Otto Lopez, and Jordan Walker, and not Chicago’s 5.4 WAR centerfielder? I’m not on television, but Crow-Armstrong is top dog as long as Shohei Ohtani is considered as a batter only.

Central Intelligence

How About That!

Justin Verlander announced he will retire at the end of this season. He’s 266-159 with a career 3.33 ERA and 3,554 strikeouts. Verlander owns three Cy Young awards, is a nine-time All-Star, and was named Rookie of the Year in 2006 and AL MVP in 2011. He also won two championships with the Astros (2017 and 2022).

Verlander received his 10th All-Star nod this morning as the Commissioner’s Legend pick.

Tyler Tolbert of the Royals tied a major league record with hits in 12 consecutive plate appearances. He matched Johnny Kling, who did it first in 1902. Pinky Higgins (1938), Walt Dropo (1952), and José Miranda (2024) are also tied with Tolbert.

Zack Wheeler ripped MLB over his controversial All-Star snub. Then he beat the Reds 4-1 with 14 strikeouts in seven innings.

Willson Contreras is going to the All-Star Game as a reserve first baseman, replacing Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Rob Manfred said MLB needs a salary cap because the competitive balance task hasn’t solved the game’s financial disparity.

The Mets are baseball’s biggest disappointment of 2026, at least so far.

Three from the Bill Chuck Files

  1. The Dodgers are the first team with 60 wins. Their magic number to win the NL is now 58. They have won 30 games at home and 30 games abroad, and their 60th win was an 8-7 extra-inning affair against the Rockies, the first time Los Angeles has gone beyond the 9th inning this season.
  2. Scoring in every inning is rarer than a perfect game. Only 21 teams in major league history have accomplished the feat, and there have been 24 perfect games. The Royals scored in all nine innings when they beat the Phillies 16-1 on Monday night. Philadelphia starter Cristopher Sánchez started the game with a 2.00 ERA, and it was 2.62 when he left after 3.1 innings.
  3. The Brewers moved to the National League in 1998, and played 4,524 games against league opponents going into this week’s series against the Cardinals, winning exactly half of those contests. The Cubs are 13 games over .500 in that same span. We all owe Lou Piniella, Joe Maddon, and Counsell a lot of gratitude. Those three are a combined 1013-821 (.552) since 2007 from the top step of Chicago’s dugout.

Apropos of Nothing

I packed a lot of stuff into this article considering the opening statement.

Extra Innings

How would you feel if the Hoyer traded Josiah Hartshorn for a starting pitcher with at least one extra year of club control, like Detmers or Ryan, for example?

They Said It

  • “We go into our Draft being pretty agnostic of position player versus pitcher. I think this year, the reality is we’re going to try to probably be a little less dogmatic about maybe sticking to that. And realizing that, practically, to get more good pitching, we just might have to take more pitching. I think that’s just the most obvious lever to pull.” – Kantrovitz

Wednesday Walk-Up Song

I watched Ford Fairlane last night and now I’m on a Billy Idol kick.

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterJuly 8, 2026
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