It’s definitely starting to feel like we’re on the edge of some trades going down, Cubs or otherwise. Obviously most of the activity will wait for the two days before the deadline, but things are percolating …
Whatever works, guys. Just keep trading bats:First Miguel Amaya uses PCA’s bat, now Alex Bregman borrows Dansby Swanson’s… who’s trading bats next? ? pic.twitter.com/tw81syG3Hs
In addition to using Swanson’s bat, Bregman choked up on the handle and put his hands further back in his stance, “like way further back,” he explained. Bregman tried to get his bat plane a little bit more behind him, which he admitted was a weird thought. Ultimately, the goal was to stay back more, tweaks that initially started over the weekend in Pittsburgh.
“Not being super direct and short to the ball, kind of getting on plane deeper and hopefully the heavy bat and also my hands being further back kind of holds me back more,” Bregman said. “I’d kind of been flying forward and cutting the corner and cutting everything. That’s why I’m popping up a lot and missing pitches in the middle. So (Monday) was a better step in the right direction.
“It probably doesn’t look like anything was really different to somebody who doesn’t watch my swing like 10,000 times, but for me it looks like a completely different swing. But at the end of the day, baseball’s crazy. Sometimes you need one swing to kind of get you going.”
There aren’t too many guys I’d trust to be making these kinds of big changes in-season, but Bregman is definitely one of the few. He knows what he’s doing, and what he needs. That’s why it’s hard to keep him down for long. Speaking of which: With another big night at the plate, Alex Bregman is officially back into the positive territory by wRC+ (101). Thanks to his solid defense all year, Bregman has actually been the 8th most valuable regular third baseman in baseball this year (2.0 WAR). Not saying that’s where we hoped he would be when he signed his big deal, but it’s pretty nice when that’s the down version. And if he keeps hitting like he has been lately – .314/.386/.627/176 wRC+ since July 11 – his season results will climb rapidly. No bat-swapping necessary for Seiya Suzuki (who is hitting .297/.384/.568/159 wRC+ since June 11), but this was still funny:Come for Seiya Suzuki talking about this approach, stay for him talking about “Michael Busch” ? #Cubs pic.twitter.com/Gul9rXAQty
— Taylor McGregor (@Taylor_McGregor) July 29, 2026 Owen Ayers with an Anthony Rizzo for his first Triple-A homer:Owen Ayers crushes his first Triple-A @IowaCubs homer on one knee ‼️The @Cubs' No. 3 prospect ranks third in the Minors among qualified full-season players with a 1.060 OPS across three levels: pic.twitter.com/HXNGINE5DF
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 29, 2026 His age, his age, his age, I know. But, even setting aside the position, I think we have to keep reiterating how little pro experience he has after being drafted just two years ago – Ayers came into this season having played 83 pro games, total. If you include the Arizona Fall League, it’s 103 games total. Yes, he turned 25 this summer, but this is a guy who has barely had any chance to develop as a professional at the plate … and it hasn’t matter. He just rakes and rakes. I don’t know that the opportunity will present itself, but I no longer think it’s crazy to suggest that Ayers could contribute to the big league team THIS year if some surprising need came up. There are a lot of starting pitcher options this year available in trade, both rentals and controllable types. Among the rentals (non-Skubal edition), Clay Holmes is my favorite Cubs target:Clay Holmes gets a strikeout and two ground balls to finish off his rehab outing for St. LucieFinal line: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K, 59 pitches (37 strikes) pic.twitter.com/kTT1dnCyuJ
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) July 29, 2026 Hopefully Jonathon Long is all right:Long did not bat in the ninth inning in a close game. Something to monitor. t.co/GV30uzyeSX
— Jason Kempf (@jkempradio) July 29, 2026 The timing here is really unfortunate for two reasons. One, Long had finally really turned it back on at the plate and was raking. Two, because his path to at bats with the big league Cubs is pretty good and blocked right now, Long is a clear trade candidate this week (with some real value). Random but Caleb Durbin has been a monster since mid-June. I hadn’t noticed, mostly because his first few months of the season had him as perhaps the worst hitter in all of baseball. The surge is good for the Red Sox, because, although they acquired Curtis Mead to help bolster that infield, he immediately got hit by a pitch and broke his wrist:Brutal news: Mead says the initial diagnosis is a fractured wrist. He will travel to Boston to meet with a hand specialist to determine whether season-ending surgery is needed. t.co/YvjBkOSksP
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 28, 2026 Can you imagine giving up a controllable young starting pitcher in a trade and the guy you got back breaks his wrist in game one? Oof. Not sure if this means the Red Sox go back to the well to try to add another utility infielder, but, if so, the timing of Matt Shaw’s own wrist/hand injury ain’t great, because that might’ve otherwise been a good match-up. Should’ve just driven to the appointment, man:The update on Harrison Bader is a bizarre one. He went to see a specialist for his plantar fasciitis, but the Giants announced that he had a scooter accident "on Saturday night/early Sunday morning" and further injured that left foot. He will now get an MRI for the new injury.
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) July 28, 2026 Speaking of scooter-related injuries:The Sacramento River Cats mascot collided with Alek Thomas on Saturday. ?(Via: AddisonM81/Reddit) pic.twitter.com/oDTLS4cVAB
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) July 28, 2026 Javy Báez is finally back in the big leagues after his long injury recovery, and I thought this was a great story, via Emily Waldon:Max Clark on having Javy Baez as a teammate over the weekend in Toledo, "Javy is the coolest, best teammate I think I've ever played with. I played with him, maybe a total of five games. That guy is something special, and it's a really underrated part of who he is. Everybody…
— Emily Waldon (@EmilyCWaldon) July 28, 2026 In case the embed cuts off:Max Clark on having Javy Baez as a teammate over the weekend in Toledo, “Javy is the coolest, best teammate I think I’ve ever played with. I played with him, maybe a total of five games. That guy is something special, and it’s a really underrated part of who he is. Everybody talks about the All-Stars and the World Series. That’s Javy, but he’s an incredibly good guy too. That is one of the best dudes that I’ve been around in this game.
It’s cool to see a guy who has 10 years of service and every accolade a kid can want, and he can still be like a little kid when he plays. He has so much fun with this game. It doesn’t matter. It’s a Triple-A game that he can just roll in and out, do his thing, and just go home. But he’s in the dugout, and he’s at early work. He was here earlier, talking to the guys, having fun, singing to the aux, everything. I’ve got nothing but good things to say about him.”
Jeff Passan with a huge Trade Deadline preview: MORE CUBS FROM BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN NewsletterHence then, the article about bregman keeps adjusting bat trades ayers value love for javy and other cubs bullets was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Bregman Keeps Adjusting, Bat Trades, Ayers Value, Love for Javy, and Other Cubs Bullets )
Also on site :
- What training camp will reveal about the Jets: Aaron Glenn’s approach, rookie impact, 2027 draft plans
- Transfer news LIVE: Liverpool face new Barcola hurdle despite agreement as Vinicius Jr makes Arsenal decision
- Will there be a World Cup boycott? Infantino’s deal with Trump empire pushes football to the brink