Mychal Givens is used to being dealt to other teams, considering he's been on four different ballclubs since 2020.
Givens isn't worried about being traded and said he 'expects to be in a Cubs uniform' past the Aug. 2 deadline. But, if he isn't, he understands the assignment.
“If I get traded, I'll put on that uniform and try to win ballgames for them," Givens told NBC Sports Chicago recently. "Right now, I’m not focused on the trade deadline or anything, all the rumors, anything like that."
Nonetheless, the rumor mill has already swept up his name and attached it to other teams, including crosstown rival Chicago White Sox.
According to ESPN's Jesse Rogers, "There is strong interest in Cubs setup man Mychal Givens. The White Sox could be a fit after they kicked the tires on him last offseason."
This wouldn't be the first time the two teams exchanged relievers. At last season's deadline, the White Sox acquired Craig Kimbrel and Ryan Tepera from the Cubs in exchange for Nick Madrigal, Codi Heuer and minor league prospects.
Rick Hahn made it clear that the bullpen is one of the few focuses the front office has their eye on as they head into the deadline. The bullpen ranks 19th in the league in ERA (4.05) and WHIP (1.31) compared to the others.
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“No GM in baseball, whether they are in it or not, ever feel they have enough pitching,” Hahn said on 670 the Score. “We are certainly not immune to that. Primarily, (we have needs) because Aaron Bummer has been absent for a while. And we hope he returns at some point, but it's not a guarantee. I think bullpen is our most obvious need.”
Aaron Bummer's injury has left just one left-handed pitcher in the pen -- Tanner Banks. Along with that, Joe Kelly's season has been a downward trend despite his recent seven scoreless outings. And, Kendall Graveman has pitched more innings than he did in 2018, 2020 and nearly last season in 2021.
Givens has been phenomenal for the Cubs this season. He holds a 6-2 record and 2.72 ERA in 39 appearances. He's struck out 49 batters and walked just 19 this season.
No matter who comes in for the Sox, it would be reasonable to believe Hahn will be aggressive at the deadline to keep the team above .500, which the club is for the first time since late May after their win on Tuesday night against the Colorado Rockies. On top of trading for relievers last deadline, Hahn also traded for César Hernández in an attempt to solve their second-base issue.
"We have had a bunch of conversations,” Hahn said. “Not just with us but with the scouts, coaching staff and front office. We have a lot of different ideas about certain possibilities. There are a lot of teams in contention right now. The true sellers are a little bit limited right now. And those teams may not align with what we need. It will be a fun couple of weeks toying with some different ideas in order to make this team better.”