6 Cubs trade deadline targets, ranked from likely to long shots

The second half of the season gets started on Friday night at Wrigley Field, with the Cubs welcoming the Boston Red Sox in for a weekend series. The task at-hand for this team? Come out of the All-Star Break strong and firmly cement itself as buyers leading up to the Aug. 1 trade deadline.

Chicago has a lot going for them: they boast the best run differential in the division which, in and of itself is a benefit given how weak the NL Central is this year. With the Pirates' hot start now a distant memory and the Cardinals ticketed for a sell-off with an eye on returning to contention in 2024, it's a three-team race between the Cubs, Brewers and Reds.

Buying could help the North Siders leap frog Milwaukee and Cincinnati. Here are six potential trade targets, ranked from most likely to least likely - the type of long shot that would shake the baseball world to its foundations.

6 Cubs trade targets, ranked most likely to least likely: #6 - Dominic Smith

No, this isn't just a re-print of the same piece from a year ago (although Dominic Smith was mentioned as a Cubs trade target last summer, as well). Jed Hoyer has to address the corner infield spots, especially first base, at the deadline if this team is going to win the division.

Smith represents a left-handed bat with some pop that won't require Jed Hoyer to come off any high-value talent. A former first-rounder, he's only really shown what he can do on a regular basis one time, back in 2020, with he put up a .993 OPS in the shortened campaign.

Adding Smith wouldn't block top prospect Matt Mervis, who will surely get another crack at the big league job this summer, long-term, while adding a left-handed, low-cost bat to the mix. Is it sexy? No. Is it a move that's going to move the needle substantially? Again, probably not. That means it's something that could very well happen before Aug. 1.

6 Cubs trade targets, ranked most likely to least likely: #5 - Jeimer Candelario

Would it be a trade deadline if we weren't talking about bringing a former Cubs player back into the fold? At least we're not sitting here making ridiculous suggestions like bringing back Kris Bryant or Javier Baez. No, instead, it's old friend Jeimer Candelario.

The switch-hitting corner infielder is having himself quite the age-29 season with the Washington Nationals, with 27 doubles and a 125 OPS+ on the year. A pure rental as he's on a one-year deal, Candelario is going to be a hot commodity in the weeks to come.

Of course, Candelario made his big league debut for that 2016 Cubs team and played in a handful of games with the club the following year before being sent off to Detroit in the deal that netted Justin Wilson and Alex Avila.

Given the questions Chicago has on both corners of the infield, adding a switch-hitting power bat with some defensive versatility would check a major box on this team's to-do list.

6 Cubs trade targets, ranked most likely to least likely: #4 - Justin Turner

Longtime Los Angeles infielder Justin Turner packed away his Dodgers blues and donned Red Sox garb this spring - and he's continued to do what he's always done in his first year with Boston.

Capable of playing multiple infield positions, namely first and third, Turner has an .824 OPS on the season, due largely to being selective on the pitches he's attacking, evidenced by a chase rate that ranks in the 77th percentile and a whiff rate in the 86th.

The downside with Turner, and the reason I wonder if the Cubs might take a step back on adding him via trade is his age. He turns 39 in November and his deal has a player option for 2024. To this point, there's been no decline in his performance, but you're always running a risk when you're adding a guy near 40.

6 Cubs trade targets, ranked most likely to least likely: #3 - David Robertson

Again, another familiar face - and you could easily swap him out for someone like Carl Edwards Jr., another former Cub who's enjoying a strong 2023 season in the bullpen. But given Robertson's dominance in the Big Apple this year and the fact he's on a one-year deal, a reunion can't be ruled out should the Mets sell.

That's far from a certainty, of course. Sporting the largest payroll in MLB history, New York owner Steve Cohen would surely prefer to add at the deadline, assuming his team plays well out of the break. But if not, a late-30s reliever who's still at the peak of his game could help the team bolster the farm system, which Cohen has always insisted is the key to sustained success.

Robertson made 36 appearances with a 2.23 ERA last year for the Cubs before Hoyer traded him to the Phillies at the deadline and he's been just as good, if not better, in 2023, with a 2.06 ERA in 36 first-half appearances, filling in for the injured Edwin Diaz. Slotting the veteran right-hander into a late-inning role alongside Adbert Alzolay could give Chicago a lethal one-two punch at the back end of the bullpen.

6 Cubs trade targets, ranked most likely to least likely: #2 - Josh Hader

Another team that headed in with expectations as high as its payroll, the San Diego Padres are one of the top disappointments in all of baseball so far this season. They enter the second half at 43-47, 8 1/2 games out in the NL West - and could be sellers if they stumble down the stretch in July.

Given the Cubs' needs in the bullpen, specifically for left-handed relievers, All-Star closer Josh Hader would make for a blockbuster-level splash for Hoyer and the front office. A free agent at season's end, the left-hander has only driven his value higher with his work on the mound this year for the Padres, pitching to a 1.08 ERA and 1.020 WHIP, while averaging north of 13 strikeouts per nine.

Chicago's left-handed relief options are marginal, at best. With Brandon Hughes done for the year with a knee injury, the Cubs have been forced to rely on Anthony Kay. The early returns have been solid, but in a very limited body of work. It's safe to say if the game is on the line and you need a shutdown left, this probably isn't the guy you envision coming out of the pen.

Hader wouldn't come cheap as the top southpaw relief weapon potentially available. I think a more likely option would be more along the lines of a Brad Hand route, where you aren't coming off top prospects, but like I said at the start: we're covering the full range of options here, and this one comes in on the long, long shot end of the spectrum.