The final week of July — that chaotic period when the ambitions of 30 Major League Baseball franchises collide — often produces a dizzying cascade of news. But even by the frenetic standards of the trade deadline, today felt different for the Chicago Cubs and their followers. It was a day that captured the full spectrum of the modern baseball experience: tactical, strategic, emotional, and tragic — all in the span of a single day.
Over the weekend, the New York Yankees, desperate to halt their slide in the AL East standings, acquired third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies. For Cubs fans, this was all too familiar — watching a contender make a bold move to fill a hole they have while Cubs faithful waited in the wings. It was a sobering reminder of the league’s unforgiving nature, where prime trade targets are plucked from the board quickly, raising the stakes for everyone still in play.
Then came a reminder of just how fragile the market can be. Minutes before the Cubs took the field in Milwaukee, Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez — one of the most coveted rental bats available and a name frequently linked to the Cubs — took a 95.6 mph sinker off his right index finger in Detroit. As he was clearly in pain, front offices across the league held their breath. A potential fracture threatened to derail trade plans for multiple teams. While X-rays later came back negative, the scare underscored how quickly carefully constructed plans can be undone by a single pitch.
Earlier in the day, as Cubs players arrived at the ballpark in Milwaukee, the organization made a different kind of statement — one not dictated by injuries or rumors. The team announced a multi-year contract extension for President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer. Just three days before the deadline, the move landed like a thunderclap. With Hoyer in the final year of his deal and speculation swirling about his future, the Ricketts family dropped a firm anchor in the storm. It was a loud and clear message of confidence, stability, and long-term vision. The man who had steered the franchise through its most painful teardown in a generation was now officially charged with leading it into its next golden era.
But the day’s story didn’t end there — and it didn’t end with celebration. Instead, it closed on a deeply somber note that cast a shadow over the entire city. Just before first pitch, news began to circulate — and was later confirmed during the game by Marquee Network — that Cubs icon and Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg had passed away at age 65, following a courageous and public battle with metastatic prostate cancer. The juxtaposition was profound.
On the same day the architect of the “next great Cubs team” secured his future, the franchise lost a foundational pillar of its past. The convergence of these events — the tactical maneuvering of the trade market, the strategic stability of the front office, and the emotional toll of a legend’s passing — painted a powerful portrait of what it means to be a professional sports organization. The Cubs were navigating the present, planning for the future, and honoring the legacy that made all of it possible.
It’s remarkable how quickly things can change. Just months ago, Jed Hoyer entered the 2025 season as a lame-duck executive, sitting squarely on one of the hottest seats in baseball. Four straight years without a playoff appearance and back-to-back 83-win seasons had drained the goodwill of a proud and passionate fanbase. Many believed his moves were too cautious, that ownership was tying his hands, and that this season was simple: make the playoffs or pack your bags.
To understand how we got here, you have to rewind to the summer of 2021 — a gut-punch of a deadline for Cubs fans. Hoyer made the painful decision to dismantle the 2016 championship core, trading away Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and Javier Báez in just a few days. At the time, the moves were widely ridiculed. The returns for Bryant and closer Craig Kimbrel yielded prospects many felt were underwhelming. It looked like the Cubs had traded their heroes for nothing.
But Hoyer wasn’t just betting on young talent. He was betting against the aging curve of the players he moved — and he was right. While some trades missed, others hit in franchise-altering ways. The Báez deal brought back Pete Crow-Armstrong, now a Gold Glove-caliber All-Star and the emotional heartbeat of the team. The Rizzo trade netted Kevin Alcántara, who hasn’t yet broken through — and might even be traded this week — but remains a valuable piece. That painful summer of 2021, it turns out, was the price of admission for what the Cubs have become in 2025.
From there, Hoyer got to work. Quietly. Methodically. He operated “in the shadows” compared to the Theo Epstein era. He signed Dansby Swanson to bring leadership and elite defense to the infield. He found real value on the international market in Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga. Then, last winter, came the masterstroke: using his rebuilt farm system to acquire superstar outfielder Kyle Tucker — a legitimate middle-of-the-order force the team had long been missing.
The 2025 Cubs are a powerhouse. They’ve spent nearly the entire season in first place, boasting one of the league’s best offenses and a surprisingly effective pitching staff. Rookies like Matt Shaw and Cade Horton have stepped up in a big way, showing the player development pipeline is alive and well. Hoyer didn’t build this team with a blank check — he built it with vision, discipline, and smart moves. That’s the kind of work that earns the trust of ownership and, ultimately, a new deal.
So what does this extension really mean? It means stability. It means Hoyer is no longer a desperate executive trying to save his job. He’s now an empowered architect with the authority to build not just for this October, but for many Octobers to come. He can tap into the farm system without fear, strike deals with confidence, and present free agents with a compelling long-term vision. It’s a message to the league and the fans: the Cubs are built to last.
Here’s the thing, folks: Jed Hoyer’s journey from the hot seat to the final 72 hours of this years deadline is a masterclass in patience and purpose. He weathered the storm of a highly unpopular rebuild, which he created, and emerged with a club that’s not just contending, but thriving.
With that… Even as this new Cubs era comes into full bloom, it does so under the heavy weight of loss. The passing of Ryne Sandberg leaves a hole in the soul of the franchise. Ryno was more than a Hall of Famer — he was a Chicago superhero, a symbol of grit, grace, and humility. As Hoyer’s team pushes toward a title, they carry not only the pressure of potentially playing in October this year, but the responsibility of honoring the legends who made Wrigley sacred. Tomorrow, we’ll pay proper tribute to that legacy — with a special Binary Spotlight piece on the life and career of the man they called “Ryno.”
If you can’t play with them, then root for them!