Jed Hoyer is still evaluating the Cubs' direction ahead of the MLB trade deadline: 'We'll see how we play'

(670 The Score) The Cubs entered the 2024 season with the hope of winning the NL Central, reaching the postseason and competing for a championship. Those aspirations hit a snag during the first half of the season.

With the trade deadline looming on July 30, the Cubs will soon need to decide their direction and whether to buy as a contender or sell and focus on their future. It’s a decision that has become more complex thanks to the Cubs winning six of their last seven games over the past week.

The Cubs are now 45-49 entering play Friday evening, when they begin a four-game series at the St. Louis Cardinals. While they trail the division-leading Brewers by nine games, the Cubs are just three games behind the final wild-card spot in the National League.

As president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer explained Friday, the Cubs' direction is still unclear.

“We’ll see how we play,” Hoyer said on the Parkins & Spiegel Show. “I think that’s the most important thing. It’s not a pure science. There’s no doubt, you’re not going to have an exact number (of playoff probability). But I do think there are a lot of factors that have to go into it – how you’re playing, health, where the other teams are.

“The most important thing for us right now is that we went eight-plus weeks playing really poor baseball. I think we all felt like that isn’t who we are. The last week has been positive. Like, my hope is that we can continue to play well for the next couple weeks and hopefully with that, those odds will keep going up.

“I certainly believed in this team on Opening Day. I certainly believed in this team on May 1. And I still do. But obviously, we’ve put ourselves in a position that’s difficult. Now we have to dig out from under that position a little bit, and that can be difficult. I think we can do it. But we certainly haven’t made our path as simple as possible.

“How we play over this next stretch, that does mean a lot.”

In 2023, the Cubs were in a similar position in mid-July as they sat at 45-51 and were preparing to potentially sell off key players. The Cubs then went on an eight-game winning streak and were small buyers at the trade deadline. In one span, they won 32 of 46 games to hit a high mark of 76-64, but they struggled down the stretch and missed the playoffs with an 83-79 record.

The Cubs open a four-game series against the rival Cardinals on Friday evening in St. Louis. First pitch is set for 7:15 p.m. CT. Pregame coverage starts at 6:40 p.m. on 670 The Score and the Audacy app.