National League Central Trade Deadline Preview: What Should Each Team Do?

The July 30th Major League Baseball Trade Deadline is rapidly approaching, which means it is decision time for all 30 teams to determine what the remainder of their 2024 season will look like. In this article, we will look at one of the most intriguing divisions in baseball: the NL Central. Who will buy? Who will sell? Could some teams do both or neither? What makes this division so interesting is that all of those questions could be relevant to one of the teams in this division. So, let’s break down each team’s situation and what questions they need answered within the next week. 

Milwaukee Brewers

Best Decision: Buy

The Brewers have not broken their stride at all this year, even with their manager, Craig Counsell, leaving in a surprise move to the rival Cubs. Milwaukee has continued to play its brand of baseball under first-year manager Pat Murphy, using its combination of speed and shutdown bullpen pitching. Their consistent play has allowed them to open up a comfortable six-game lead in the division. However, concerns still need to be addressed as the Brewers eye to make a run in October. The main problem with this team is the production and depth of the outfield, and this issue just recently became significantly more magnified as Christain Yelich was put on the injured list with what could turn out to be a season-ending injury. With Yelich out for the foreseeable future, we can expect Milwaukee to be very aggressive in the market for an outfield bat or two that can plug into the middle of their order to provide more slugging. 

St. Louis Cardinals 

Best Decision: Buy

The Cardinals are coming off one of their worst seasons in over a decade in 2023, and for about the first month of this season, it looked to be more of the same in St. Louis. However, the Cardinals were one of the best teams in baseball in the month of May, and they have been able to carry that momentum ever since. Even with down years from their veteran stars Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, the younger bunch of position players have picked up the slack for the offense. That is why the focus for St. Louis at this deadline should be to acquire more reliable pitching. Obviously, another bat can never hurt, but outside of Sonny Gray in the rotation and Ryan Helsley in the bullpen, there is not much else left to be desired from the pitching. If the Cardinals were to find themselves in a three-game Wild Card series in October, they would be running out veterans Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson in games two and three following Gray. There are plenty of places to look for upgrades in those spots, specifically Erick Fedde of the White Sox and Nathan Evoldi of the Rangers. However, those will be two highly sought-after assets at this deadline, so the price could be higher than what the Cardinals are looking to spend. 

Pittsburgh Pirates

Best Decision: Conservatively Buy

The Pirates have been one of the best pleasant surprises of the 2024 season, and a massive reason for that is the young starting pitching sensations Paul Skenes and Jared Jones. It is unlikely that many people would have expected the Pirates to be two games over the .500 mark near the end of July, but here they are, so what do they do now? Well, the answer is not nearly as clear as the Brewers and Cardinals, who will both be buyers in all likelihood. The Pirates find themselves on a slippery slope because their roster is probably a year or two away from being a legit contender, but they are also just a game and a half out of the last NL Wild Card spot. They obviously do not want to sell off any of their younger core pieces, but there are some veteran pieces on this team that will not be a part of the Pirates’ long-term plans, most notably Aroldis Chapman. They could look to sell Chapman, and maybe some other veterans for prospects, but their overall most effective strategy is to buy conservatively. There are clear holes in the lineup that need to be addressed if the Pirates want to make the playoffs in 2024, but they have to make sure to address those needs without giving up any key pieces for their future, whether that is big league or minor league talent. The other decision that the Pirates are facing is what to do with Skenes and Jones in terms of their inning counts. If they choose to add at the deadline, they are essentially committing to letting Skenes and Jones finish out the year without giving their arms a rest. This could turn out to be a risky decision, considering the Pirates could shut them down and look forward to 2025 and beyond. This next week will say a lot about where the Pirates believe they are in the stages of their rebuild. 

Cincinnati Reds

Best Decision: Stay Idle

The Reds have some of the most exciting young talent in the game, specifically Elly De La Cruz, who is on pace for a record-breaking season in terms of his homerun and stolen base numbers. However, this roster is not ready to win this year, and the lack of consistency throughout the offense has been a big reason why. They rank 28th in hits, 27th in average, and 22nd in on-base percentage. The main bright spot for the Reds this year has been the improvement from their young starting pitching, which was a major cause for concern last season. The struggle over what to do at the deadline is similar to the Pirates' situation. The Reds have a lot of young talent that they do not want to give away, but there is not a lot of veteran presence on this team that a contender would be willing to give up prospects for. The Reds feel like a team that is best-fit staying idle at the deadline and gearing up for 2025. 

Chicago Cubs

Best Decision: Conservatively Sell

The Cubs have been one of the most disappointing teams of the 2024 season to this point. After stealing Craig Counsell from the Brewers and re-signing Cody Bellinger in the offseason, the Cubs were picked by many people to win the NL Central. However, they find themselves in last place as the deadline approaches. The offense has been the main issue for this club all season with no one being able to provide consistent production at the plate. On the other hand, the starting pitching has been fantastic, and there could be a few starters that they could sell to contenders. Jameson Taillon and Javier Assad have already drawn interest from multiple teams. Obviously the ace of the staff is Justin Steele, but if the Cubs are looking to be competitive in 2025 and beyond they will be holding on to Steele unless they are blown away by an offer. As for hitters that could be on the move, Nico Hoerner’s name has been thrown around as a quality infield piece. Cody Bellinger has also been in rumors, but his recent trip to the injured list with a  broken finger could complicate a potential trade if he is not fully healthy by July 30. Needless to say that the Cubs do not seem to have what it takes to make a run in 2024 and the best decision is to sell conservatively.