CHICAGO, IL - AUGUST 23: An equipment bag with a Cubs logo sits in the dugout prior to game 2 of a doubleheader between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs on August 23, 2022, at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Chicago Cubs suffered their fourth-straight loss on Wednesday, falling to the Atlanta Braves in a clash between the National League’s top-two teams.
Despite the poor streak, though, the Cubs seem ready to build on their playoff run from last year with a deeper one in the coming postseason. Fans won’t quickly forget that, earlier this season, the team rattled off two different 10-game winning streaks.
“To put that in perspective, only four other teams in major-league history have posted two winning streaks of at least 10 games within the first 39 games of a season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau: the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers, the 1941 St. Louis Cardinals, the 1887 St. Louis Browns and the 1880 Chicago White Stockings,” Patrick Mooney noted for The Athletic. “Winning at that rate requires execution in all phases of the game from each part of the roster.”
But even though the Cubs have already had plenty of success this season, it seems likely they will need to make some personnel moves before the trade deadline if they hope to reach the World Series. Primarily, the team’s rotation seems to be a bit thin, with Justin Steele, Cade Horton and Matthew Boyd all struggling through injuries.
And as the Cubs assess their postseason chances and personnel needs, they’ve received word that a former infielder has now left Major League Baseball entirely to continue his career abroad, shortly after the team traded him away.
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First baseman Matt Mervis, who played in 36 games for the Cubs in 2023 and 2024 before the team traded him to the Miami Marlins in exchange for Vidal Brujan before last season, has joined the Mexican League.
“A former undrafted free agent signee by the Cubs, Mervis put himself on the prospect radar by slugging 36 homers between three minor league levels in 2022,” Anthony Franco wrote for MLB Trade Rumors. “The Duke product made his big league debut one year later, striking out 32 times in his first 99 plate appearances.”
ForbesFormer Braves All-Star, Mets World Series Member And Phillies Coach DiesBy Peter ChawagaMervis never quite recovered from that harsh big-league debut with the Cubs.
All told, in 116 at-bats for the Cubs over two seasons, Mervis slashed just .165/.238/.322. Meanwhile, Brujan slashed .222/.234/.289 in 45 at-bats for the Cubs last year before he was designated for assignment and then claimed off of waivers by the Baltimore Orioles.
At this point, it seems likely that Mervis will stick in the Mexican League for the foreseeable future, though he will surely be working toward a comeback after he almost made a lasting impact for the Cubs.
“Mervis was in big league camp with Washington this year. He played one game for their Triple-A club in Rochester before being released,” Franco added. “He’ll hope to put things together in a hitter-friendly league in Mexico and play his way back to affiliated ball on a minor league contract.”
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