These Four Players Should Be Real Targets of Cubs at Trade Deadline

Barring something unforeseen, the Chicago Cubs will be buyers at the trade deadline.

This is a much more welcome position than they've been in the past few years where they were looking to offload some assets while also bargain shopping for some pieces who had some club control remaining.

Jed Hoyer and company will have a different mindset this year.

The Cubs look like real contenders, and they are just a few pieces away from having a roster that can really make a run at the World Series.

Pitching is the biggest need, both in the starting rotation and bullpen with Justin Steele being out for the rest of the season and the relief staff still being one of the worst in Major League Baseball with a 4.51 ERA entering play on Friday.

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How Cade Horton looks in his debut and when Shota Imanaga returns from his injury will determine a lot with the rotation, but there are also some other areas Chicago could look to be aggressive in.

Here are the four players the Cubs should strongly consider pursuing ahead of the trade deadline.

Sandy Alcantara

Getting this one out of the way right now.

Alcantara is going to be made available this year, and there is a high chance that he is moved by the Miami Marlins.

This would be a risky move to make for Chicago since the 2022 NL Cy Young winner has not looked like himself this season after coming back from Tommy John surgery, currently sitting with an 8.42 ERA across his seven starts where his K/9 rate of 6.7 is the lowest of his career.

But this could be a buy-low opportunity for the Cubs since Alcantara's Stuff+ is still above the leauge average, suggesting a turnaround could be coming if he gets his location issues figured out.

Kyle Finnegan

This would be a move to add a true closer.

The trick would be to figure out if Finnegan can be the dominant force in the second half of the year that he's been during the first. That has been the issue for him throughout his career, and Chicago would have to put together a plan to make sure he'd be at his best when they need him most.

Adding the current Washington Nationals shutdown man would allow them to move Ryan Pressly into some sort of set up or high-leverage relief role with Porter Hodge being another option in those environments.

Those three coming on in late-inning situations would be the best this unit has looked in some time.

Yennier Cano

The Baltimore Orioles look like they are destined to sell at the deadline.

It has not been a season for them to remember, and there's a chance the front office decides to get back what they can by moving some pieces this year.

Cano could be a real trade option if that's the case.

The right-hander would be a great fit in this Cubs bullpen despite not being a closer. Acquirng him would allow Hodge to take over as the ninth-inning man with Cano and Pressly being the high-leverage outs guys.

Ryan McMahon

This is another disastrous year for the Colorado Rockies that might be the most futile yet.

They are easily the worst team in Major League Baseball and need to fully do a hard sell if they're ever going to come out on the other side with a young nucleus that can change the fortunes of that franchise.

For Chicago, adding McMahon would solve their third base issue.

Matt Shaw doesn't seem like he's the guy just yet, and with this group ready to win a championship, they need a proven veteran who can come in and add to their lineup.

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While McMahon has had a tough season so far with a slash line of .185/.311/.339 and just four homers and nine RBI, he was an All-Star last year and plays excellent defense while providing run production and some pop to a lineup.

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