Welcome to your late week, late night indie pop-up coffee shop where we’re debating the trade deadline into the wee hours of the morning. We’ve got some frozen cocktails on tap if you’re trying to cool off after a long summer day, we also have a range of craft lagers if that’s your preference.
The MLB trade deadline was earlier today and the Cubs added a handful of new players while making some tough decisions regarding the roster. But it wasn’t exactly the deadline day many fans had envisioned for
a team that has the second best record in the National League.
More on the deadline specifics after some tunes.
And then there were none.
Earlier this year in this column I talked about Johnny Cash’s God’s Gonna Cut You Down partially because it’s a great song by a great artist, but partially because it’s a song two 2025 Cubs players shared entering the season. Both starting pitcher Justin Steele and closer Ryan Pressly used that song for walk out music and I wondered how they’d work that out this season.
But the baseball season is long and a lot of things happen between Opening Day and (hopefully) a postseason run. Steele was lost for the season to a revision Tommy John surgery in April and Pressly, who waived his no trade clause to join the Cubs in January was DFA’d today to make room for new trade acquisitions.
Life comes at you fast. So today I thought we’d enjoy another of Johnny Cash’s excellent songs, his cover of Hurt:
It’s an exceptional cover of the song originally released by Nine Inch Nails and demonstrates the range and mastery Cash has.
I imagine there’s not small amount of hurt all around baseball during the trade deadline. The pain of leaving friends on one team for a new one. The hurt of being traded by a team that likely drafted and developed you from a young player. Sometimes the hurt of losing a roster spot to make room for a new player.
The Cubs added Mike Soroka, Andrew Kittredge and Taylor Rogers to their pitching staff. They added Willi Castro to their position player ranks.
Soroka is the most interesting of the pitchers added. There was a point in time when he finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, after all. But that was before he tore his Achille’s tendon, an injury he re-tore when he tried to return to the mound. There were other injuries too and the Braves finally traded him to the White Sox last season before signing a one-year deal with the Nationals this year. The good news is that the peripherals all indicate Soroka has been unlucky in our nation’s capital. Couple that with the Cubs solid defense behind him and he should be better than the 4.87 ERA he’s put up through 81 1⁄3 innings. The not so good news is that he’s already at a four-year high in innings and while there may be upside here, his most likely outcome with the Cubs is probably fifth starter/long relief.
If Soroka does start with the Cubs it could push Ben Brown to the bullpen, where many analysts believe he would thrive. The Cubs have clearly been reluctant to make that move and want Brown to figure it out as a starter. But even if Soroka isn’t the domino that pushes Brown to the pen, the return of Javier Assad or Jameson Taillon could be that catalyst. Soroka gives the Cubs one more fourth/fifth starter, which is good for eating innings with the possibility of some upside.
Kittredge and Rogers are both perfectly serviceable relievers who provide marginal upgrades to a pen that has looked shaky as of late. Rogers has the added bonus of being a lefty.
While some might argue Soroka is the most impactful player added by the Cubs, I think that title goes to Willi Castro. The Cubs bench so far in 2025 hasn’t exactly been all that reliable, and they finally seem to have a sense of urgency about fixing it. Vidal Bruján and his wRC+ of 43 over 47 plate appearances was designated for assignment earlier this week to make room for Moisés Ballesteros, a rookie who Mark Feinsand reported the Cubs would not make available in deals this deadline. Ballesteros can hit, but he’s pretty limited in terms of his fielding.
Enter, stage right, the versatile Castro. Castro can play second, third, shortstop and the outfield. That gives the Cubs the type of utility bat they were hoping they’d get with Bruján, but with a much better wRC+ of 109.
But does it move the needle for a team that fancies itself a contender? Don’t get me wrong, the Cubs are better than they were at the start of the week, but there were some big names moved this deadline. While the Padres added Mason Miller and the Mariners reunited with Eugenio Suárez, the Cubs seemed content to tinker at the margins.
But I ask you, how would you grade the Cubs trade deadline? Feel free to stick around and debate all the deals until the wee hours of the morning, just make sure you bus your tables so we don’t leave a mess for Josh.
More from bleedcubbieblue.com:
- Cubs acquire Andrew Kittredge from Orioles
- Cubs 10, Brewers 3: Moises Ballesteros and Kyle Tucker get it done
- Cubs roster move: Moises Ballesteros recalled, Vidal Bruján designated for assignment
- BCB After Dark: The Cubs acquire Michael Soroka
- In remembrance of Ryne Sandberg, a great baseball player and better human being
- Brewers 9, Cubs 3: Hey, Jed! Time to bring in the reinforcements
- Minor League Wrap: Javier Assad makes a strong rehab appearance in Iowa’s 5-2 win
