👋 Good morning!

I guess you could call that a trade deadline.

So much for the Cubs and White Sox being active participants in yesterday’s frenzy.

The Sox dealt Adrian Houser in the waning moments, and the Cubs picked up some new bullpen arms and a utility player.

But there’s no frontline starter headed to Wrigley, and Luis Robert Jr’s odd career on the South Side isn’t over just yet.

I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this…

– Patrick Norton

⚾️ DIEHARDS ONLY ⚾️

We’re knocking the Friday 1:20 Club out of the park and onto a Wrigley Rooftop.

Join DIEHARDS ONLY at this premium event when the Cubs host the Pirates on August 15th!

Your event ticket includes all you can eat and drink throughout the game, a CHGO Cubs shirt of your choice and a CHGO hat!

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE: We’ve added August 18th vs. the Brewers at no extra cost!

Two games on the rooftops for the price of one!

That’s All?

After weeks of speculation that they’d be one of baseball’s busiest teams ahead of the deadline, the Cubs improved slightly on the margins but never made the expected splash.

Over the final two days leading up to the deadline, they added pitchers Michael Soroka, Andrew Kittredge, and Taylor Rogers, as well as utilityman Willi Castro.

President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, who signed a multi-year contract extension this week, spoke after the deadline passed to explain his reasoning for not pushing the club’s chips all in on the 2025 season:

Hoyer on the Cubs’ mission: “The goal is to be good every year. That’s the goal. The goal is not to have massive up-and-down cycles. I think that’s been the focus, is to build something sustainable that we can do this every year.”
Hoyer’s “message to fans” who expected more: “Our biggest focus wasn't trading [our] prospect capital [for] the bullpen. If we were going to do that, it was [for] the rotation. That's what I would say.”
Hoyer on the moves the Cubs didn’t make: “I think there’s always moves you don’t make that you worked hard on — not everything comes together. Obviously, our goal was to add depth to the pitching staff, and the goal was to add depth to the bench.”

You mind if I rant for a quick moment? Nothing too serious.

Aim higher. The goal should be winning the World Series, not “to be good every year.” It’s semantics, I know, but it’s important in the grand scheme.

And it looks worse when the goal seemingly prioritizes the best 40-man over the best 26-man roster. It might sound like the same thing, but it’s not.

Prospect depth is critical, and Cubs fans shouldn’t complain about still having Owen Caissie, Kevin Alcantara, Jefferson Rojas, Jaxon Wiggins, or James Triantos. But their usefulness to the Cubs is diminished when their paths to the majors are blocked.

I also can’t help but wonder: Does somebody like Caissie sticking around mean there’s enough fear that they’ll be unable to re-sign Kyle Tucker this upcoming offseason?

It’s a rational fear from Hoyer (if that’s actually why), but it should be all the more reason to raise the stakes on this season. Tucker, slump and all, is in his prime, and there’s no guarantee that we’ll ever see these performances from Pete Crow-Armstrong or Michael Busch beyond 2025.

With Justin Steele out for the season, Javier Assad and Jameson Taillon working their way back from injuries, and rotational uncertainty from Colin Rea, Ben Brown, Jordan Wicks, and even Michael Soroka, who they acquired on Wednesday, the Cubs frankly needed another starting pitcher — and Hoyer failed.

His lone saving grace right now is that the starters market was baseball’s most peculiar storyline of the deadline. Merrill Kelly and Adrian Houser were moved. That was pretty much it. Sandy Alcantara, MacKenzie Gore, Joe Ryan, Edward Cabrera, and even Dylan Cease all stayed put.

I’m sure Soroka, Kittredge, or Rogers will string together some strong outings, but it could’ve been more. It should’ve been more.

GO DEEPER: Jared Wyllys’ post-deadline thoughts and assessment

The Kickoff Classic ⛳️

FORE! Join your favorite friends and Diehards from CHGO at 9 a.m. on August 22nd when we kick off the NFL season with our third annual Kickoff Classic at Cog Hill #2 — The Ravines!

You can sign up as an individual, twosome or a foursome, and your entry fee includes 18 Holes with a cart, limited-edition CHGO tee gifts, contests, giveaways, and lunch during a post-round ceremony.

STAYING PUT: Luis Robert Jr. was not traded before the deadline and will remain with the Sox through at least the remainder of the year. Robert is eligible for free agency when the year ends, but will likely have a $20 million club option picked up for the 2026 season.

The good news? The return for Adrian Houser is mighty impressive. Excellent, even. Curtis Mead is a former Top-100 prospect, and fliers on pitchers Duncan Davitt and Ben Peoples could turn into something really nice for Chris Getz and the Sox.

Bruce Levine did mention on Thursday night that the Cubs were in on Houser, but it didn’t materialize as the deadline neared and eventually fell through.

All in all, Houser was the only guy the Sox simply had to move after sending Austin Slater to the Yankees on Wednesday. Though I am surprised Mike Tauchman and Robert made it through the deadline, too.

MORE: Sean Anderson’s White Sox Trade Deadline Recap

HONORING RYNO: The Cubs will wear blue jerseys at home against the Orioles on Saturday to honor the life of baseball legend Ryne Sandberg, who died Monday. The jerseys aren’t authentic throwbacks, as they feature a button-front without the 80s sleeve trim. However, each jersey will have the No. 23 on the back without a nameplate.

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: I mentioned it last week, but it looks like Major League Baseball will officially announce Wrigley Field as the site of the 2027 MLB All-Star game later this morning. Depending on when you’re reading this (thanks, by the way), this could be old news.

BEAST OF BURDEN: Day 8 of training camp was a good one for Luther Burden III. The rookie made several catches, including a few through tight coverage.

But as Burden gets acclimated to the offense after missing a good chunk of the offseason due to the injury, he’s learning just how well he fits in with Ben Johnson:

“I feel like I can do everything in his offense. I’m just really trying to get my feet wet, get situated on the field and learn by playbook really. I feel like everything else will take care of itself.”

GO DEEPER: Adam Jahns on the left tackle competition & more from Halas Hall