When the Chicago Cubs traded Yu Darvish this past offseason and didn't get much back in return, it sent a signal out that the move was strictly made to get off of Darvish's contract.

The move was the first of what was expected to be a domino effect of moves that the Cubs could make as it looked as though they were poised to slash their roster payroll and start somewhat of a rebuild.

Fast forward to now and the Cubs are 42-37 and right in the thick of the NL Central race. They have exceeded the expectations of the front office and put that group in quite the pickle. Chicago's front office balked this offseason, now they have to makeup for it by buying at the MLB Trade Deadline.

Trading Darvish came as a shock to many Cubs fans until the realization of the blueprint was recognized. And it was one coming from owner Tom Ricketts up top that the goal might be to get rid of some of the pricier contracts on the payroll.

It certainly wasn't performance related. Darvish was coming off a Cy Young runner-up year. A year in which he went 8-3 in a shortened season and posted an ERA that would make any pitcher blush, at 2.01. The Cubs ace had a WHIP of 0.96 and gave up 17 total earned runs in 12 starts. Jed Hoyer traded him.

This season, Darvish is up to his same stuff. He's been dominant for the Padres this year posting a 2.44 ERA in 16 starts while having a K/9 of 10.8. He's been flat out dominant again. This isn't a surprise. What is a surprise, at least to the Cubs front office is how well their own team has performed. As the trade deadline approaches they desperately need to add a starting pitcher as they continue to hover around the top end of the division. If only they had someone like Darvish, who they traded for next to nothing in the offseason.

Kyle Schwarber is having an incredible month of June for the Washington National. So incredible, that he has been put into a category with Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa. Not exactly bad company when considering the numbers they put up.

While Cubs fans remember the moonshot home runs from Schwarber when he was in Chicago, it has been next level for the now leadoff hitter in D.C.

Chicago had every opportunity to bring the power hitting lefty back and there was never a doubt that Schwarber loved the city and the franchise, yet the Cubs let him walk for nothing.

Schwarber's contract isn't anything crazy, he's on a one-year, $10 million deal. That's peanuts for the numbers Schwarber is providing the Nationals out of the leadoff spot.

The Cubs chose to sign Joc Pederson as free agency rolled along. Pederson has been good, not great for the Cubs and his numbers pale in comparison to Schwarber. As the MLB Trade Deadline inches closer and closer, the Cubs could use another bat in the lineup. While the area of concern might be at second base, they need another bat regardless. Schwarber would've been perfect, but Hoyer and Co. let him walk for nothing.

These two moves, or non-moves, will have Hoyer scrambling at the trade deadline. It's put the Cubs in a situation that was 100% avoidable and completely self-inflicted. The Cubs brass clearly didn't expect this team to contend much this year and here they are right on the heels of the Brewers with the page getting ready to turn to July.

An angle that hasn't been forgotten tying in with all of this is the contract situations of Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Javy Baez. All could hit free agency after this season and the Cubs have done nothing on extensions with any of the three.

The fact that this wasn't addressed in the offseason leads to a further connecting of the dots that would indicate the plans internally may have been to trade one or more of those core pieces. Now, that is completely off the table, or should be.

It's hard to imagine any scenario in where the Cubs are contending for the division crown and still send away any of Baez, Rizzo or Bryant. All three have been critical elements to the formula for manager David Ross and Bryant had been returning to his MVP form earlier in the season.

Chicago's front office is facing a dilemma that could've been nonexistent had they not jumped the gun this offseason in selling away Darvish and letting Schwarber walk. Now, they must try to add a starting arm and add another bat at the deadline while figuring out how to go about the extensions of Bryant, Rizzo and Baez.