The Chicago Cubs were looking like obvious sellers at the MLB trade deadline as the MLB All-Star break came around. However, ever since the break, the Cubs have been the hottest team in baseball and firmly became buyers. They turned that position into a trade that netted them Jeimer Candelario from the Washington Nationals, who has been on a tear ever since he arrived in Chicago. Candelario joins Cody Bellinger and Dansby Swanson as some of the hottest bats in baseball alongside the hottest offense in baseball. Suddenly, the Cubs are 2.5 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the NL Central, and one game back in the NL Wild Card race. As the Cubs have turned their 2023 season around, there are now two specific roster moves that they must make amid the push for the playoffs. The Cubs need to dip down into the minors and call up Matt Mervis and Pete Crow-Armstrong.

Calling up Matt Mervis and Pete Crow-Armstrong would essentially be insurance for the playoff stretch. The Cubs are currently anchored by a red-hot lineup led by Bellinger, although there is a high likelihood that they cool down at some point here in the second half of the season. Additionally, the chances that the Cubs actually win the World Series this year are pretty slim given how many other teams have looked a lot stronger so far in 2023. Still, the Cubs are going to be playing important baseball down to the final stretch of the season, and with an already young roster, they mind as well call up two guys who look like they will be a big part of the future of the organization. While Matt Mervis has already seen MLB playing time, Pete Crow-Armstrong has not. By the end of the 2023 MLB season, the Cubs need to have called both of them up and give the two young prospects an opportunity to contribute to a postseason ball club.

*Roster via ESPN

Matt Mervis

The Cubs called up Matt Mervis earlier this season, although he didn't find much success. In 27 games, Mervis hit three long balls, however he hit for a rough .167 average and an OPS of .531. This is a big reason that the Cubs sent Mervis back down to the minors, but with playoff baseball pending, it is time to give the young first baseman another chance. Mervis projects to be the first baseman of the future for the Cubs, and being a left-handed power bat, he could be extremely valuable late in the season. A consistent left-handed power bat is one of the most versatile and dangerous commodities in baseball, with a prime example being Bellinger for the Cubs. If Matt Mervis could come back to the Cubs and be slotted into the latter half of the lineup with some pop from the left side, it would give the Cubs a whole new dynamic. He would of course have to play a lot better than what he did earlier this season, but this will only be determined if the Cubs give him the opportunity. Without a doubt, the Cubs need to make that possible.

Pete Crow-Armstrong

Pete Crow-Armstrong was the absolute darling of the Cubs Spring Training, and he might have even been one of the bigger standouts in all of MLB Spring Training in general. He flashed some incredible leather in center field on the way to some insane highlights, as well as displaying a very consistent bat. He has had a great season at multiple levels of Minor League baseball, and like Mervis, figures to be one of the cornerstones of the Cubs future. With the chance to make some noise this year, the Cubs have the perfect opportunity to expose Crow-Armstrong to pivotal late season baseball while not putting immense pressure on the 21-year-old. The Cubs outfield is already pretty deep, so Crow-Armstrong could arrive and be given spot opportunities when manager David Ross sees fit. Not to mention, giving Crow-Armstrong the opportunity now would set him up for success in later years when he is an every day player for the Cubs. Just like Matt Mervis, the Cubs need to call up Pete Crow-Armstrong to the active MLB roster in preparation for a postseason push.

Overall, the MLB trade deadline came and went with the Cubs quickly changing from sellers to buyers. As they continue to try and stay hot and sneak into the postseason after a rough first half of the 2023 campaign, calling up Pete Crow-Armstrong and Matt Mervis to the active MLB roster are decisions the Cubs front office needs to make.