Jed Hoyer has no excuse but to make this Cubs trade during MLB trade deadline originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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At this point, it’s either Jed Hoyer goes down and makes the necessary moves for his team to win, or the Chicago Cubs won’t have the second half of the year that they’re looking for.
As of now, the Cubs have gotten by with some of these injuries, sitting at 29-18 and in first place in the National League Central, leading by 1.5 games in front of the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals.
However, it goes without saying that the Cubs have struggled a bit recently, sitting at 4-6. The bullpen and starting rotation need help, and Bleacher Report recently brought up a potential trade candidate that would make a lot of sense in the Windy City.
That player is right-hander Bryan Abreu, who has been a very good bullpen arm throughout his career for the Houston Astros.
“After allowing 12 earned runs in his first 7.1 innings of work, Abreu has reasserted himself as one of the best middle relievers in the business with eight strikeouts and one run allowed across his last five innings.
“Can the Astros make it back from their woeful start, though, given the state of their rotation and the extent of their IL stockpile? They might be selling off their impending free agents, and Abreu’s track record (2.30 ERA from 2022-25) would make him highly coveted,” Kerry Miller of BR wrote.
Abreu has had some weird moments throughout the year, but recently has been rather lights out. Since his April 24 appearance against the New York Yankees, the 29-year-old has only allowed one earned run.
There are some worries about Abreu and his control at times, as he’s walked 18 hitters and only struck out 21 in 15.0 innings this year. His 7.80 ERA is definitely not pretty to look at, but he’s been much better recently and would be a nice addition to a Cubs bullpen that needs help.
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