3 nightmare scenarios for the Chicago Cubs at the 2025 trade deadline

The clock is ticking and the sky is falling. At least, that's the vibes surrounding a larger-than-expected chunk of the Chicago Cubs fanbase after the team dropped two of three at home to Kansas City and followed it up with a blowout loss on Friday against the White Sox at Rate Field.

How Jed Hoyer navigates the coming days could ultimately decide how the race for the NL Central crown shakes out. A furious two-month stretch from the rival Brewers has made the division a coin toss with a little over two months to play. Identifying the team's needs is one thing, though. Finding answers that make sense for the organization is another thing altogether.

With that in mind, here are 3 worst-case scenarios for the Cubs as we close in on the deadline.

3 nightmare scenarios for the Cubs ahead of the 2025 trade deadline

The Milwaukee Brewers acquire Eugenio Suarez for the stretch run

Missing out on Eugenio Suarez, especially after one suitor came off the board early with the New York Yankees trading for Rockies veteran Ryan McMahon, would hurt. Watching the small-market Milwaukee Brewers be the team that comes away with him would be nothing short of getting punched in the throat.

Suarez ranks among the league leaders in virtually every power-related offensive category and, specific to the Cubs, looks like a perfect fit given he's a rental and they (at least in theory) already have their long-term third baseman on the roster in rookie Matt Shaw. Snagging Suarez, letting him bash for the final two months and help carry the team into the postseason seems like a win-win for everyone.

But if he somehow ends up in Milwaukee and that move ends up deciding the NL Central - it's not just that it'll be a tough pill to swallow for Cubs fans. It's a pill they will absolutely refuse to take.

Jed Hoyer comes up short in his bid for a postseason-caliber starting pitcher

Edward Cabrera. Sandy Alcantara. Merrill Kelly. Zac Gallen. MacKenzie Gore. Joe Ryan. The list of starters reportedly available ahead of the deadline stretches on for days. It feels like a foregone conclusion the Cubs will come away with at least one starter, perhaps two - and one of them needs to be ready to step in alongside Shota Imanaga and Matthew Boyd and start a postseason game.

Asking prices for many of these arms that are controllable beyond 2025 are high, and rightfully so. As much as Jed Hoyer and the Cubs' front office have loved hoarding prospects (at least prior to last winter's Kyle Tucker trade), they cannot afford to play it safe at the deadline and come away with only a back-end arm.

This team needs a big arm. It's on Hoyer to deliver.

Fail to find an answer for the third base problem

Even if Suarez isn't the answer (and, again, I hope he is) - the Cubs cannot head into August with Shaw as the everyday third baseman and a supporting cast of Vidal Brujan and Jon Berti behind him. That's not a postseason-caliber mix of players and, at this point, we can only hope and pray the organization understands as much.

Adding a piece like Amed Rosario of the Washington Nationals or Willi Castro of the Minnesota Twins and jettisoning Berti or Brujan would go a long way toward solidifying the bench mix and infield depth. I'm not saying Shaw can't be the starting third baseman if asking prices on trade targets are unreasonable - I am saying, though, that if that's the case, he has to have backup behind him.