CHICAGO — One of the biggest changes in my four decades of covering Major League Baseball has been the way the trade deadline is reported.

What once was a few weeks of rumors from beat writers about what might happen, producing a couple of lines in a notebook and an occasional headline if something was close, has morphed into a full-blown, 24/7 job. Some outlets, notably The Athletic and the aggregating site MLBTradeRumors.com, provide nonstop shopping for rumor seekers.

The gambling aspect obviously has increased interest, along with social media and the addition of a third wild-card team in each league, which means more mediocre teams are still in contention at the deadline. As of Saturday, only a half-dozen teams were more than 4 1/2 games from a wild-card spot.

Executives go under the cone of silence weeks before the deadline, leaving managers and players to answer speculative questions.

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell was in no mood to play along Saturday before the Cubs beat the New York Yankees 5-2 at Wrigley Field.

“That’s not for me,” he said to one question. “I’m worried about the guys we’ve got here.”

Does he want to know everything President Jed Hoyer is doing?

“I get asked for some feedback occasionally,” he said. “Other than that, there’s a bunch of people working on that.”

It’s much the same with Sox manager Will Venable, who is focusing on his team while general manager Chris Getz works to make it better.

Getz made his first big move as a buyer late Saturday, acquiring veteran Seattle Mariners starter Luis Castillo for Seranthony Domínguez, outfielder Nolan Jones, prospect Boston Jones and cash considerations, hoping a change of scenery will revive the struggling pitcher, who has a 5.06 ERA in 20 games. The Sox will take on Castillo’s big contract, which pays him $24.15 million next year, while keeping their most valued prospects.

Shortly afterward, multiples reports had the Los Angeles Dodgers acquiring Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal for three prospects, taking the top player off the market. The Cubs reportedly were interested in Skubal but now might face him this week as the Dodgers come to Wrigley Field Monday for a three-game series.

No matter the team, people enjoy looking for clues to what the executives are thinking, same as it ever was. “What we’re hearing about …” is a headline that’s bound to pique interest every time, even if most of the deadline rumors don’t come to fruition.

This year’s official start of the Cubs trade-rumor season began May 8 with a random tweet that the Cubs had started talks with the New York Mets about Freddy Peralta. The Cubs shot it down, got the tweet retracted, and life went on as though nothing had happened. Three months later, Peralta’s trade value has subsided, so it’s no surprise his name has emerged again in Cubs rumors.

Walking around Wrigley this weekend, fans have constantly asked me “What are the Cubs going to do?” perhaps assuming I’m hacking Hoyer’s phone. “Go ask Jed,” is my rote response. “He’s not returning texts.” The beauty of the trade deadline is it gives every fan a chance to be a general manager, conjuring up deals to improve their favorite team and proving to themselves why they should be the GM.

One of the occupational hazards of being a sports reporter is hearing unsolicited trade proposals, and that’s especially prevalent with both the Cubs and White Sox looking to buy at the same time, a rarity in Chicago. Everyone naturally had a deal to get Skubal and offers a return of prospects that would make Tigers President Scott Harris roll his eyes.

Getting Skubal would’ve made Hoyer so popular he could have his own stage at Lollapalooza, but it was a long shot to believe the Cubs finally would reel in the big one. What will Hoyer do now? I’m not sure even Hoyer knows until he actually does it. There are only a couple of game-changing players on the market, including Skubal. We might not know until deadline day Monday.

Former Cubs general manager Jim Hendry jumped the market in 2003, acquiring Aramis Ramírez and Kenny Lofton from the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 22, more than a week before the deadline. It turned out to be a deal that eventually helped the Cubs win a division title. They advanced to the National League Championship Series before losing in Game 7. It’s a long story.

Most forget that Hendry also tried to acquire Rafael Palmeiro from the Texas Rangers at the 2003 deadline, but the slugger refused to waive his no-trade rights because of the allegedly paltry return. “I didn’t feel it would impact our club,” Palmeiro said. “If it would have been a no-miss prospect, some guy that would’ve gotten us over the hump and made a difference, I really would have considered it.”

Hendry came back at the ‘04 deadline and acquired Boston Red Sox star Nomar Garciaparra in a four-way trade, which remains one of the most-hyped deadline moves in Chicago Tribune history.

“Cubs heist: It’s a great hit-and-run,” was the headline on Mike Downey’s “In the Wake of the News” column.

Tribune baseball writer Phil Rogers’ column was headed: “As good as a trade gets.”

And columnist Rick Morrissey wrote: “You will be viewed in Chicago as a savior for the Cubs, Nomar, but don’t sweat it. There have been so many saviors here the last couple of seasons that they have formed their own book club.”

Garciaparra wasn’t the savior for those Cubs, and the Red Sox, then run by future Cubs President Theo Epstein, would go on to break their title drought a few months later.

Still, every deadline brings the possibility of a new savior, and this year that Designated Savior was Skubal, whose name had been linked to the Cubs since The Athletic reported their interest Thursday. The Tigers were only 3 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot Saturday but have underachieved all season, making Skubal look like a sure goner.

It was 29 years ago that the White Sox were only 3 1/2 games behind first-place Cleveland when they executed the famous White Flag Trade with the San Francisco Giants, surrendering two starters and a closer for a slew of prospects.

“Anyone who thinks we can catch Cleveland is crazy,” Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf told the Chicago Sun-Times’ Toni Ginnetti, creating a furor in Chicago.

Reinsdorf later disputed the quote, saying that he actually said: “If we keep playing the way we’re playing, anyone who thinks we can catch Cleveland is crazy.”

The following spring, Reinsdorf told the Los Angeles Times he had no regrets over the White Flag Trade because the Sox were going to lose closer Roberto Hernández and starter Wilson Álvarez in free agency and wanted to get something in return. He also insisted Sox fans didn’t really like the 1997 team, which included Frank Thomas, Robin Ventura and Albert Belle.

“Our fans weren’t connecting,” he said. “They thought last year’s team was dull. My mail was 2-1 in favor of the trade and the direction we’re now headed.”

That was a different era, when the owner of the team talked about the team’s decision-making.

Times change, but we’re back at another deadline, and the Cubs and Sox both have a chance to make their fans happy for the stretch run.

Bring on the hype.

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