The latest MLB trade is a crosstown swap between the Cubs and White Sox.
Baseball in Chicago is truly a tale of two cities.
On the North Side, the Cubs are floundering as they continue to resist the urge to become all-out sellers at the trade deadline. None of the top-level stars have been moved yet, but the front office has slowly begun what could be a fire sale by trading away some mid-tier players.
Down on the South Side, the White Sox are surging toward what very well could be a World Series run in October. All of the baseball fortune and talent has flowed south to ol’ Comisky, and that’s not exclusive to simply the box score.
The Cubs and White Sox made a crosstown trade on Wednesday ahead of the deadline. Ryan Tepera is going from Wrigley Field to Guaranteed Rate Field, according to FanSided’s MLB insider Robert Murray.
According to Jesse Rogers, the Cubs will be receiving pitcher Bailey Horn in return.
MLB Trade: White Sox acquire Ryan Tepera from Cubs
If the White Sox are serious about making a deep postseason run, then adding bullpen help at the deadline is a must. As cliche as that sounds — because mostly everyone is always looking for bullpen help to trade for — relief pitching is an Achilles heel to an otherwise solid contender.
Of the bullpen arms the Sox have, only Micheal Kopech and Liam Hendriks have been great this year. Early season success stories like Codi Heur and Matt Foster have experienced extreme downturns. Heuer’s ERA ballooned up to 5.26 and Foster isn’t even in the Majors anymore.
The Cubs once again have moved a player that is below the top-tier stars but is a player who has consistently contributed this season. The fire sale might not be obvious but trading Tepera after also offloading Andrew Chafin and Joc Pederson certainly seems to suggest that a fuse has been lit.
Doing deadline business with the Sox shows just how desperate they might have become.