It wasn’t too long ago that the Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers were the top teams in Major League Baseball.
The Cubs had a six-and-a-half game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the National League Central, and the Tigers had a 14 game lead in the American League Central.
Now, Chicago is two games back from Milwaukee and the Tigers’ division lead has diminished to eight games.
Both teams were expected to be aggressive at the trade deadline, and while both teams made improvements, neither team did anything to put themselves above the rest.
ESPN staff debated what’s real and what’s not following the wild trade deadline, including if the Cubs and Tigers are still teams to fear in October.
“Not real,” wrote Jesse Rogers. “Both teams did work to help them get to the playoffs, but not necessarily win in them. That’s where trading for those top closers or setup men would have come into play. The regular season is about starting pitching. October is about bullpens.
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“Detroit recognized the need but chose quantity over quality (though Kyle Finnegan should help). Neither team did enough compared with its rivals. That doesn’t mean these teams won’t win in October. But their deadlines were just so-so.”
Detroit made a lot of pitching acquisitions, specifically targeting the bullpen. Finnegan used to be lights-out, and may return to that form on a contender.
Chicago made a couple of pitching acquisitions and added utilityman Willi Castro who has looked great so far in a Cubs uniform. It’s unfortunate the team was only able to trade for Michael Soroka, when it’s clear they need much more than Soroka.
“Real, because being a team to fear doesn’t equate with being the clear-cut favorite,” wrote Bradford Doolittle. “I am nevertheless underwhelmed. Both teams have already positioned themselves for a strong seed, though the Cubs have to fend off the Brewers. Neither team made the kind of splash an all-in team would make.”
Doolittle went on to say he isn’t high on Finnegan or Rafael Montero, and that the Cubs had a boring trade deadline but did slightly improve what was already a good team.
It remains to be seen how the rest of the season will play out, but both teams should make it to October and anything can happen.
More MLB: Red Sox named trade deadline loser after mediocre pitching acquisitions
