Cubs Planning Aggressive Finish to MLB Trade Deadline

The final hours of the MLB trade deadline are quickly approaching, and the Chicago Cubs appear ready to make some noise.

Chicago isn't planning on making just a minor tweak or two. According to Ken Rosenthal and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, the Cubs ideally want to add three pitchers before Monday's deadline.

The exact combination of those three pitchers remains up in the air. Chicago could add two starters and one reliever or one starter and two relievers. Regardless, the Cubs appear determined to add multiple arms to a thin pitching staff.

Injuries have decimated the Cubs this season, although reinforcements are on the way with Edward Cabrera and Daniel Palencia nearing their returns. Even with both coming back, Chicago still needs more pitching help, as no starter currently on the roster owns an ERA below 3.40.

The biggest name on the market came off the board Saturday night when the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Tarik Skubal. Still, the Cubs have plenty of options to choose from, including Freddy Peralta, Clay Holmes, Kevin Gausman, Reid Detmers and José Soriano.

Jesse Rogers of ESPN revealed that although the Cubs checked in on Skubal, they dropped out fairly early in the process. However, Chicago has been tied to just about every available pitcher as the deadline approaches.