August 2 update: Former Cubs Javier Báez, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber, and trade deadline open thread

The Cubs made one trade Monday and while we're waiting for others to go down, I thought I'd change up the subject a little. So while we’re waiting for trades before today’s 5 p.m. CT deadline, let’s have a look at what several former Cubs have done since I last updated you on them last week. Three of these players were dealt at the deadline last year.

Feel free to use this thread for trade deadline discussion. Also, site note: Today’s Cubs game against the Cardinals begins at 6:45 p.m. CT, and normally I’d post the game preview at 4:30 p.m. for that starting time. With the trade deadline at 5 p.m. CT, I will instead post today’s game preview at 5:30 p.m. CT. Any trades that get announced after the deadline (as well as any earlier) will, of course, have front page coverage.

Javier Báez

Javy has done pretty well over his last few games, batting .263/.364/.474 (5-for-19) with a double and a home run. He even drew two unintentional walks! His season OPS is now .645, the highest it’s been since May 10. Perhaps he’ll have a decent season after all.

This performance did not help the Tigers, who lost three of the five games Báez played in over the last week. He wasn't in Detroit's lineup Monday.

This might be a reason Javy has been hitting better lately:

Kris Bryant

KB hit .353/.421/.471 (6-for-17) over his last five games, but without a home run. He still has not homered in Coors Field as a member of the Rockies in 26 games played there, and:

In 42 career games in Coors Field, Bryant has hit just two home runs — the one mentioned above, May 9, 2017, the second game of a doubleheader, off Jeff Hoffman and August 20, 2016, also off Hoffman.

Well there’s your answer, Rockies — just import Jeff Hoffman to pitch against Bryant at Coors Field. Unfortunately for KB, Hoffman’s Reds have already made their only 2022 visit to Denver, and that happened in late April, when Bryant was on the injured list.

Speaking of Bryant injuries...

Here’s the play on which Bryant might have done that [VIDEO].

He left the game after that play, and it’s looking more and more like this is going to be a lost season for Bryant. He has played in just 42 of the Rockies’ 104 games. Originally in Monday's lineup, he was a late scratch:

And, just like that:

Anthony Rizzo

Rizzo has gone 5-for-16 with three home runs (.313/.476/.875) since the last update here, and our SB Nation friends at Pinstripe Alley were prescient in the seventh inning of Sunday’s game (check the timestamp):

On a 1-1 pitch [VIDEO].

That gave Pinstripe Alley’s Twitter account an idea:

Too late, guys — someone bought the winning ticket in Des Plaines.

For Rizzo, that three-run blast was his 25th of the season and it gave the Yankees a 6-4 lead over the Royals, but they wound up losing the game 8-6. He hit his 26th Monday against the Mariners.

Kyle Schwarber

Schwarber keeps hitting home runs but not much else — he went .227/.250/.546 (5-for-22) over the last few games, but two of those hits were home runs.

Sunday in Pittsburgh, he hit one a very long way — oppo [VIDEO].

How far did that fly?

Schwarber’s 33 home runs continue to lead the National League, four more than second-place Austin Riley.

Will Willson Contreras be added to the next edition of this series? “As always, we await developments.”