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?)

Hoyer has to pony up the dollars needed for proven relief arms

During both the Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer tenures, the Chicago Cubs have hit on a high number of reclamation projects and cast-offs from other organizations in their bullpen building. That can continue to be part of the approach, but it can't be the only way you go about assembling a relief corps.

Blown saves alone crippled the Cubs' playoff hopes over the last two months, with Adbert Alzolay eventually losing the ninth-inning job and veteran Hector Neris proving shaky, even when he manages to get the job done. Chicago hasn't had the necessary firepower at the back end in some time - and even when they've had capable arms in recent years, they've wound up trading them at the deadline.

Maybe one of the team's up-and-coming pitching prospects proves to be the answer in the ninth. Ben Brown certainly has the stuff, but has also excelled as a starter. But what this team needs is for the front office to seriously allocate funds to build out the back of the bullpen - and I don't mean looking to 35-year-old veterans like Neris whose best days are clearly behind them.