The Rundown: Cubs Start ‘Important Stretch’ of Baseball, Twins in Town, Maddon Returns, Mets Open for Business

“To everything…there is a season. And a time and a purpose under heaven.” — Turn! Turn! Turn! by The Byrds

The All-Star break has finally passed and we have a full schedule of baseball today and tonight. The Cubs open the second half of the season with a weekend set against the Twins at Wrigley Field, while the Brewers host the Marlins, with five games separating the NL Central rivals. Joe Ryan is not scheduled to pitch against Chicago this weekend, but the Tigers follow the Twins into town and the North Siders should get a chance to face Tarik Skubal. It’s home stretch time, and both starters have been linked to the Cubs for much of the past two seasons.

You’ll hear a lot of trade rumors over the next three weeks, but most of the bigger names will probably stay put. That includes Reid Detmers, who sits atop my personal wishlist. John Mozeliak is calling the shots in Anaheim these days, and if he’d like to extract a little revenge against the Cardinals, trading Detmers to the Cubs is one way to do it. That said, Mozeliak is intimately familiar with the St. Louis farm system so the Redbirds may have an edge over everybody else if the interim GM starts selling assets. The Angels have been avoiding a rebuild, but it might be time to trade Mike Trout to the Phillies and then gut the rest of the team. That’s a big band-aid to yank, but it’s time, and I believe Mozeliak was hired to do just that.

I’d also like to see the franchise return to being called the California Angels, but that’s a topic for another day.

Trout probably won’t be traded, but if he is, it might kickstart the craziest deadline we’ve seen in the expanded playoff era. Can you imagine a lineup that incudes Trout, Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Brandon Marsh, with a top-three rotation of Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler, and Jesús Luzardo? That’s how you unseat the Dodgers.

What will Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins do in the next three weeks? They’re obviously targeting guys that aren’t rentals, which makes Detmers or Ryan fine additions. Michael Wacha and José Soriano also come with club control. I can see Detmers coming to the Cubs if Hoyer and Hawkins are willing to build a package around Matt Shaw. They’d probably have to include one of Jefferson Rojas or Pedro Ramírez, plus Brooks Caple, who seems to be on the radar of every rival GM. That package would get any of the pitchers listed above, as well as Skubal, but I believe the Cubs would prefer Detmers.

Hoyer and Hawkins will also acquire some bullpen help and a veteran bench presence. Isaac Paredes could be a fit if Shaw is traded. Mickey Moniak might be on Chicago’s radar, too. Mason Miller, Aroldis Chapman, Josh Hader, Jeff Hoffman, Matt Strahm, and Bryan Abreu are name-brand relievers rumored to be available. That immediately removes them from Hoyer’s consideration. The names you should be concentrating on are Huascar Brazobán, Brock Burke, Caleb Ferguson, and Garrett Whitlock. Any of those would be fine additions to Chicago’s bullpen.

In the meantime, let’s just get back to playing meaningful baseball games. I’ve got the Cubs going 42-24 the rest of the way and winning the division by one game. They’re playing the Dodgers on deadline day. That should be a fun one.

Cubs News & Notes

• Aaron Bummer chose to opt out of his deal with the Cubs and is now a free agent.
• The Cubs have parted ways with former White Sox closer Liam Hendriks.
• The Cubs are bruised and a little calloused, but they’re going to have to be better than just good to win the division.
• The next three weeks represent a “really important stretch” for the Cubs and will determine how aggressive the front office will be at the deadline.
• Though the front office isn’t shopping him, Shaw is Chicago’s best trade chip.
• Joel Reuters of Bleacher Report believes Moisés Ballesteros could be a trade chip thanks to the recent success of catching prospect Owen Ayers.
• The Cubs would like to move outfield prospect Kevin Alcántara if they can find a reasonable deal.
• Both Chicago baseball teams are in the thick of this year’s playoff race.
• Joe Maddon returned to Chicago for the second leg ($) of the organization’s 10-year reunion celebration.
• Jon Lester threw a little playful shade at former teammate Anthony Rizzo.

Ball Four

Bold of you to assume there will be baseball next season.

Key dates for the 2027 regular season! pic.twitter.com/q5d3YUeoRR

— MLB (@MLB) July 16, 2026

Central Intelligence

• Milwaukee (59-37): The Brewers are well-known prospect huggers, which is why they acquired Lance McCullers Jr. and Colton Gordon. A trade for Skubal or Sonny Gray seems highly unlikely.
• Chicago (54-42): The Cubs open the 2027 season on March 25 at home against the Guardians. They’ll also visit the Padres for a scheduled doubleheader on June 22.
• St. Louis (50-45): Lars Nootbaar and Riley O’Brien will likely be dealt if the Cardinals are sellers at the deadline.
• Pittsburgh (50-47): The Pirates acquired one-time top prospect Robert Hassell III from the Nationals for cash or a PTBNL.
• Cincinnati (43-52): Chase Burns and the Reds have reached an agreement on a seven-year 4105 million extension. The deal buys out two free-agent years but does not include a club option to lengthen the deal.

How About That!

Five teams, including the Padres, are on the buy/sell bubble coming out of the All-Star break.

The Mets are ready to sell, and Francisco Lindor is reportedly available.

New York has already informed several teams they’re ready to deal right now.

Lindor might be a good fit for the Yankees, who are aggressively seeking a middle infield upgrade.

Lindor isn’t the only player the Mets are making available. They’ll trade just about anybody not named Juan Soto.

MLB is restricting the use of dugout iPads to prevent AI assistance when making in-game decisions.

Apropos of Nothing

The Phillies are 45-25 (.643) since Don Mattingly replaced Rob Thomson as manager. That’s a 104-win pace, which is why the Phillies could be baseball’s most active team this month.

Son of Apropos

The Cubs play the Twins, Tigers, Pirates, Cardinals, and Yankees ahead of the deadline, while the Brewers play the Marlins, Mets, Rockies, Giants, and Angels. Might be tough to narrow that gap.

Extra Innings

The Mets reportedly want Josiah Hartshorn in a package for Freddy Peralta and Luke Weaver. Both are free agents after this season, so yes, the Pete Crow-Armstrong tax exists.

The #Cubs have a real opportunity with the #LGM Mets selling at the deadline.

New York has both starting and relief pieces the Cubs need.

Elephant in the room: Cubs FLEECED Mets with PCA deal a few years back. Does that play a part in their stubbornness in negotiations?

— Tommy (@tomofwrigley) July 17, 2026

They Said It

• “I really thought it would last longer. Quite frankly, I thought we would be there a little bit longer than five [years]. The first four years we go to the playoffs and the record overall for five years is one of the best five-year stretches they’ve ever had. And I’m not taking total responsibility for this, I’m just saying overall, the culture was flipped, we played good baseball on an annual basis, three consecutive NLCS and that’s not easy to do. I would have hoped to stay there longer, I’m not going to deny that, but it’s a short shelf life doing this particular job, and honestly, I’m so fortunate to have had the opportunity to manage there. The Chicago Cubs are the big leagues of the big league.” – Maddon

Friday Walk-Up Song

I never tire of listening to this song.