3 immediate roster moves the Chicago Cubs must make to turn things around

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The Chicago Cubs have played nearly one-third of their season as the calendar prepares to flip to June. They currently sit at 28-28, an unfortunate drop-off from the beginning of the month when they were seven games above .500. It's a long season, and ups and downs are regular.

Injuries and, more importantly, underperforming players have sent the team into a bit of a tailspin lately, and it's clear reinforcements are needed. These are three roster moves the Cubs must make immediately to get things back on track.

The elephant in the room continues to be Kyle Hendricks' future

As admirable as the loyalty the organization has shown to Kyle Hendricks is, the harsh truth is that keeping him around and continuing to trot him out there has hurt this club. The lone remnant from that unforgettable 2016 Cubs team had a resurgent campaign last season, with a 3.74 ERA after posting 4.77 and 4.80 marks the two years prior.

It was too soon to hit the panic button a month-and-a-half ago. Now, we're slamming the button, but it appears broken. For perspective, in his last 5.2 innings pitched since being converted to a reliever, Hendricks has given up five earned runs. The sad part is that in doing so, he actually lowered his ERA from 10.47 to 10.16.

The only thing the Cubs can do is put him out to pasture and move on. The depth and quality in the rotation, paired with Hendricks' struggles force him out of the picture there. His stuff hasn't played in the bullpen either. We're at the end of the road - it's as simple as that.

Cubs need to find ways to get value from the top of their farm system

Given Seiya Suzuki's poor showing since returning from the IL and the overall lack of consistent run production from the Cubs in May, we're quickly approaching the point where you can't leave any stone unturned - including tapping into the farm system in a search for answers. One prospect who's mashed this year is young outfielder Owen Caissie.

Entering action Thursday, Caissie carried a solid .294/.421/.431 slash line at Triple-A, a promising showing in his first taste of the minor's highest level. The Cubs need to find a way to give him an everyday shot at the major league level, but that feels nearly impossible based on the roster construction at this point. The outfield is crowded and the first base picture isn't exactly uncertain with the Michael Busch-Cody Bellinger tandem holding things down.

But at some point, Jed Hoyer will have to figure out the best path forward for the team's top prospects, Caissie included. That could mean giving them extended looks at the big league level or using them as trade capital to pursue an impact piece at the trade deadline.

Caissie, in particular, looked very strong this spring with a .973 OPS in Cactus League play. He's a top 100 prospect for a reason (as was PCA before he graduated off the list) and giving him a chance to regularly impact the MLB roster is a 'must', especially given the team's struggles at the plate.

Jed Hoyer needs to go out and address the ninth inning immediately

The Cubs desperately need another good arm in the starting rotation or the bullpen. As we pointed out in recent days, if Ben Brown can continue at the level we just witnessed, twirling a no-hit, seven-inning gem, he needs to stay exactly where he is in the rotation. If Brown can continue anywhere near that level, then the Cubs are pretty set with their starting rotation as long as Justin Steele continues to settle in.

Don't let Hector Neris' 2.84 ERA fool you. When you look under the hood, you see the car is being held together by duct tape, as he currently sports a 1.579 WHIP and 4.76 FIP. These are not numbers you find in an everyday closer. The problem is the Cubs don't have a many alternatives in-house after Adbert Alzolay lost his role. The team could at Mark Leiter Jr. or Tyson Miller, but ultimately, bringing in someone with closing experience is the best option, given the team has the prospect depth to pull off a move.

Looking at likely sellers, some names to keep an eye on include the Athletics' Mason Miller, Sean Reid-Foley of the Mets or Washington's Kyle Finnegan.

Admittedly, all three of these arms would cost an exorbitant fee in prospect currency, but it is a cost that the Cubs can afford. It's time the front office figures out who they want to keep in their prospect pool and trade some of it to make the major league roster as competitive as possible. Trading someone off the MLB roster could be the quickest way to get a guy like Caissie into the lineup while simultaneously addressing the needs in the bullpen.

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