Cubs need lots of their holes filled

Like it or not, they're going to be in this all year, so they might as well try to fix things.

Cubs need lots of their holes filled

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The Cubs salvaged a win over the weekend by beating the Reds 4-2 yesterday. For once they scored first, and in the first inning, although hey were so proud of themselves that they stopped right there. Shōta Imanaga made it stand up with (for once) some bullpen help. He came out with two outs in the seventh and was none too pleased. Probably once he saw Mark Leiter Jr. lumbering in from the bullpen, but it all worked out.

The win is the Cubs’ fifth in their last 17 games, and third over an actual MLB team. On Saturday night their loss dropped them to .001 away from last place over the Cardinals. Yesterday’s win “vaulted” them all the way to second place. The NL Central is not good.

The Cubs should not be in this position. It is a failure of roster building that got them here, and with just 51 shopping days left before the trade deadline they have a lot of work to do.

Rumors are out there (probably of the wishful thinking variety) that the Cubs have talked with the Rockies about catcher Elias Diaz. The Cubs’ catching tandem of Yan Gomes (who is literally the least productive big leaguer so far this year) and Miguel Amaya has struggled terribly. Diaz checks all of the Cubs’ boxes. That means he’s a free agent after the season so if they trade for him they don’t need to pay him after September 30. These things are important to the bunch over at Gallagher Way.

Diaz was an all-star last year and is having his best offensive season of his career so far, slashing .301/.351/.440 with five homers and 27 RBI. He’s no Adley Rutschman. But that would be a dramatic improvement for the Cubs. How much of Diaz’s first season with an OPS+ of more than 100 is fueled by Coors Field? Well, a lot of it. He’s slashing .311/.348/.472 at home with three homers and 21 RBI and .287/.354/.402 with two homers and six RBI on the road.

He’d be an improvement, not a savior. Then again, you or I might be an improvement.

Catcher is a given on the Cubs’ shopping list. But what else?