Cubs fans can count on these 3 players still being around after the trade deadline

Barring a heater of unprecedented proportions over the next few weeks, the Chicago Cubs are, again, positioned to be sellers at this month's MLB trade deadline. Given how they've played to this point, Jed Hoyer might be smart to sell even if his team shows signs of life because it's shaping up to be a seller's market given the crowded playoff picture.

You can probably argue this roster has one true untouchable in Shota Imanaga. Given the organization's pitching depth, one could even make the case for a Justin Steele trade because the Cubs could get a haul in return for the left-hander. But here are the three guys who you can count on surviving the deadline and calling the North Side home for years to come.

Cubs couldn't trade Dansby Swanson and his massive contract - even if they wanted to

The seagulls that start circling the Wrigley Field bleachers in the late afternoon on gameday aren't the only birds around lately. The boo birds have come calling for shortstop Dansby Swanson, who has taken a step in the wrong direction in the second year of his seven-year, $177 million contract.

Some point to his still-solid defense, but those metrics have also gone in the wrong direction. At the plate, Swanson is mired in a major slump, batting just .150/.236/.263 since June 12, dragging his wRC+ on the year down to what would be a career-low 78. After a stellar first season with the Cubs, he just hasn't lived up to the expectations in 2024.

The Cubs love him for far more than what he does on the field, but they need more out of him over the next five years - period. Hoyer isn't thinking about trading Swanson. After all, he's the face of the franchise playing on the second-largest contract in team history. But even if he wanted to, nobody would touch him with a ten-foot pole right now.

Shota Imanaga has the makings of an all-time free agent steal

The Cubs' lone All-Star representative is playing on one of the more unique free-agent contracts in recent memory. Shota Imanaga has a four-year, $53 million deal - but after the '25 and '26 campaigns, Chicago can extend the deal to five years and $80 million. If they don't exercise that option (which at this point seems unlikely, but a lot can happen between now and then), he can opt out of his deal at that time.

Even at five years and $80 million, Imanaga could be a steal for Hoyer and the front office. The left-hander has proven he can match up with front-of-the-rotation starters with a unique plan of attack for opposing hitters, and he could be a stabilizing presence on the pitching staff for years to come.

The Cubs could soon feature the likes of Ben Brown and Cade Horton in the rotation, marking a major turnaround for an organization that famously failed to develop impact arms under Theo Epstein. You can get creative with out-of-the-box trade ideas for Steele and Taillon, but there's no world where Imanaga gets dealt this summer.