Cheerful and carefree is simply not how Counsell rolls. That focused attitude will influence how the Cubs approach the July 31 trade deadline. The contrarian manager is an extension of Jed Hoyer’s front office, which obsesses over depth and knows from experience that things can quickly go sideways.

In flashes, Brown has shown the top-of-the-rotation material the Cubs saw when they traded veteran reliever David Robertson to the Philadelphia Phillies at the 2022 deadline. Brown had been overlooked in the 2017 MLB Draft — the Phillies selected him in a 33rd round that no longer exists — but he popped up as a prospect that summer.