Cubs could upgrade these areas at Deadline

This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO -- The pile of wins the Cubs stacked up over the past few weeks effectively moved the needle to the buy side of the Trade Deadline conversation. Instead of preparing for farewell hugs, the players in the room now feel incoming reinforcements are a real possibility.

“Whatever we get in this clubhouse, man,” Cubs veteran Kyle Hendricks said, “we're just going to keep it rolling, keep attacking these other teams.”

The North Siders head into Monday four games behind the National League Central-leading Reds, in town for a four-game series at Wrigley Field. Shortly before Tuesday’s tilt, the 5 p.m. CT Deadline will arrive and the efforts of the Cubs’ front office will come to light.

If the Cubs are aiming not to exceed the first Competitive Balance Tax threshold of $233 million, the team has roughly an estimated $5 million in financial wiggle room, per Baseball Prospectus. So, holding on to stars like Cody Bellinger and Marcus Stroman might be the big “moves,” and upgrading around the roster’s edges looks like the realistic path (barring some payroll creativity).

With that in mind, here are the two main areas the Cubs could target:

1. Bullpen

The relief corps has found a rhythm after a tough May. Manager David Ross has had four relievers emerge as his most reliable options late in games.

Mark Leiter Jr. has helped neutralize lefties (.486 OPS) and has been solid overall (3.07 ERA in 44 games). Michael Fulmer has been on a strong run of late (1.93 ERA in his last 28 innings), Julian Merryweather grabbed a setup job (2.45 ERA in his last 40 games) and Adbert Alzolay (2.33 ERA in 40 games overall) seized the closing duties.

Even so, the workload for some of the arms in the bullpen could become a concern deeper in the schedule. On top of that, the Cubs could still benefit from adding a dynamic lefty to the group. Bringing another reliever into the fold could go a long way toward solidifying what has already been a strength for Ross.

2. Corner infield bat

If the Cubs want to inject some offensive help into the lineup, the best path is via the corner infield spots (or designated hitter). Bellinger has been helping out at first base against righty pitching, allowing Mike Tauchman to play center and lead off on those days. But, when Bellinger is in center field, the options are thin.

Trey Mancini has been used against lefties, but his platoon splits have lagged and his overall production has consisted of a sub-.500 OPS dating to late June. Patrick Wisdom has recovered his power swing recently (1.154 OPS in last 12 games), but the question of sustainability persists given his strikeout rate (37.3%).

Nick Madrigal’s recent return is good for the defense at third base and brings an elite contact rate to the lower third of the lineup, but the Cubs need more thump. Ross has done all he can to mix and match the platoon pieces together, but he could benefit from a corner bat offering a more consistent power.