Just a month ago, the Chicago Cubs were playing as a contender in the NL Central. Their offense was dominating opponents, and their pitching was throwing fireballs from the mound. It all summed up to a 27-12 start. But it all came crashing down. And after losing the first two games against the Colorado Rockies last week, the Cubs became the first team to come down to .500 after staying 15 games over since the start.

The major blame goes to their offense. The group that was averaging 5.5 runs per game till May 8 came down to 3.4 runs per game since then. But according to Ian Happ, good times might just be around the corner.

“Just the law of averages, guys, it has to turn. I’m telling ya. It’s not possible for us to go an entire season with the lack of success that we’ve had in scoring position. There’s such a thing called regression to the mean, and that’s coming,” Happ said via 104.3 The Score.

The Cubs are currently ranked 19th in terms of average (.239) and 18th in terms of slugging % (.394). And the worst part is how some of the biggest names are struggling at the plate. Shortstop Dansby Swanson was even benched due to his struggles at the plate. Of the total 158 qualified hitters in MLB, Swanson (.176) currently stands second last, just after Manny Machado. Then, Nico Hoerner is hitting just .237 and could manage only 4 homers so far.

Swanson scored 24 HRs last year while Hoerner batted .297. Nothing is coming like their lastyear’s numbers so far this year.

Happ himself is hitting .219 compared to his .243 batting last year. The Cubs’ biggest gut-punch might be coming from Alex Bregman. He was signed to fill Kyle Tucker’s shoes, and the Cubs splashed $175 million to get him. Result? Bregman is hitting .253 with 6 homers. “I haven’t executed all year,” Bregman said last week. “Runners in scoring position, I’ve been god-awful. I need to be better. If I’m better over the last how many games, we probably win the majority of them… They brought me here to play good baseball, and I haven’t played good baseball. I need to figure it out.”

With such individual struggles, it was obvious that the Cubs would fail to keep their strong start momentum. But Happ thinks their current regression is part of a cycle, and it would not linger till October.

No team can indeed be consistent in a 162-game season, both in terms of struggle and dominance. The Cubs have frequently sparked offensive turnarounds from severe team slumps in the past. Last month, Happ snapped a brutal 2-for-31 skid by launching a three-run homer, igniting a massive seventh-inning rally that broke a 10-game losing streak against the Pirates. So, the Cubs could make a comeback, but with their current 38-35 record, time is ticking.

An aggressive trade deadline could spark an immediate turnaround.

The Cubs are projected to have a blockbuster trade deadline

The Cubs surprisingly rumored with a few pitchers despite their offense majorly faltering. The first name is Logan Webb.

With the Giants sitting well behind in the NL West and fighting a steep climb in the Wild Card race, it is almost certain that the Giants would give up a few names, and Webb could be one of them. Last week, against the Cubs, Webb threw 106 pitches, finishing with seven hits, zero earned runs, and seven strikeouts.

However, as per Ken Rosenthal, “When I spoke with someone yesterday who’s familiar with the Giants’ plans, he said there are zero plans to trade Logan Webb.” Still, if the trade happens, the Cubs would be the frontrunner. On the other hand, the Cubs are rumored to put some of their players up for trade. For instance, Seiya Suzuki has drawn trade interest from contenders like the Philadelphia Phillies and Seattle Mariners. Trading him would open up roster flexibility, though he holds a full no-trade clause.

A few shake-ups are certainly on the line for the Cubs, and time will answer if that proves Happ’s prediction true.