3 glaring red flags that need addressed before the Cubs can be serious contenders

Even if the Chicago Cubs somehow get their act together after 2 months of embarrassing themselves with a sloppy style of play that has them staring down a double-digit game deficit in the NL Central standings, changes are needed.

Jed Hoyer has continued to obsess over finding hidden value on the market, to the point that it's given the team zero margin for error. Without the star power of a team like, say, the Philadelphia Phillies, there's no one capable of pulling an offense out of a tailspin or slamming the door in the late innings.

Change has to come - if not at the trade deadline, then in the upcoming offseason. Here are three areas that need major attention before we can start thinking of another championship parade taking over the Windy City.

Seiya Suzuki needs to be moved out of the outfield, become full-time DH

I don't know how someone who brought home the league's top defensive honors for his position five times in Japan can look as bad as Seiya Suzuki has this season in right field.

After another defensive miscue on Friday, Suzuki grades out at -4 OAA (Outs Above Average), -1.8 UZR and -0.4 dWAR. No matter how you slice it, the 29-year-old has been flat-out awful with the glove this year and Cubs fans won't soon forget the misplay last September in Atlanta that felt like the proverbial nail in the coffin for the club.

Thankfully, regardless of whether or not Cody Bellinger sticks around long-term, have options to round out the outfield mix. Slot Suzuki in as the everyday DH, and, with Ian Happ in left and Pete Crow-Armstrong in center, Craig Counsell can go with Bellinger in right or, if he's traded or opts out at the end of the year, give one of the team's top prospects like Owen Caissie a look next spring.

Or better yet, maybe Hoyer gets Tom Ricketts to open up the checkbook and bring Juan Soto in to play right field for the next 15 years. (Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?)

It's time for the Cubs to act like the big-market team they actually are

Last week offered the perfect juxtaposition of what a large market team can and should look like and what happens when you're focused on piecing together rosters without having serious star power. The Philadelphia Phillies, with the help of former Cub Kyle Schwarber, have established themselves as an annual postseason threat thanks to the work of a front office that embraces the high-risk game that is free agency.

Meanwhile, the Cubs are a team without a true star. Cody Bellinger is the closest thing to it and, without the power element of his game, he's far from a Bryce Harper-level presence, despite making roughly the same amount of money this year.

I'm tired of this value-obsessed approach. This franchise has the means and the ability to land any player it so chooses and needs to embrace that fact, rather than settling for always being the bridesmaid instead of the bride.

You want Soto in Cubbie blue? Go get it done. Corbin Burnes atop the rotation? Get out the checkbook. Cubs fans shouldn't have to settle for anything less - and suggesting it's smart to avoid these types of deals is foolish and will prevent the team from being legitimate contenders.