Ranking the Cubs' biggest needs heading into a high-pressure trade deadline

It's quite clear that the Chicago Cubs will be buyers at the deadline. The question that has surrounded the team for weeks now is just who they will look to buy when they start swinging their deals.

Like any other contender in this day and age, there's more than one area of need that Cubs fans want President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer to acquire. But where should the exec look first and pursue the hardest? Clearly, there are some positions that the team needs more than others.

1) Starting pitching is a must-get for the Chicago Cubs

It's not exactly a shock to see the need for starting pitching right at the top of this list. With Jameson Taillon out and seemingly not coming back anytime soon, and Cade Horton having a rather up-and-down rookie campaign, there's been a bit of talk lately that the Cubs might need to pick up two starters.

Factor in that Boyd and Horton are both going to post innings counts that are either career highs or the highest in a long time. Even when Taillon comes back, they're going to need to have six starters or at least another swingman to go alongside Colin Rea.

2) Bullpen help is - all of the sudden - a major deadline need

The Chicago Cubs' bullpen has spent most of the season being one of the best in the Big Leagues. However, some of the reclamation projects, like Chris Flexen and Drew Pomeranz, are coming back down to earth.

Even if those guys are just going through a rough spot and can turn back into the lockdown relievers they've been for most of 2025, the back end of the Cubs bullpen is currently held down by Jordan Wicks and Brooks Kriske. Improving on one or both of those guys is a must. Javier Assad could help when he returns from the IL, but how much the team can lean on him is a complete unknown at this point.

3a) Bench help would be a shot in the arm to the offense

If the Cubs can only improve two areas, then starting pitching and relief pitching are the most critical parts of the roster to focus on. However, it would be great if the team could acquire an upgrade over Vidal Brujan and/or Jon Berti. It's clear that Craig Counsell doesn't have much in the way of trust for either one of them.

3b) Third base has slipped on this list in the last week

The importance of acquiring another third baseman has changed dramatically since the All-Star break. Heading into the end of the first half of the season, Matt Shaw looked like a real problem. Things got so bad for the rookie that he was benched for several days to (presumably) tweak his swing yet again.

While it's too early to say anything definitively, Shaw certainly looks fixed. In six games since the All-Star break, he's slashed .474/.474/.947/1.421 and had more homers (3) this week than he had in the entire first half (2).

There's obvious danger in assuming that Shaw is fixed, but considering Eugenio Suarez is the only obvious drastic improvement over Shaw and he'll likely cost a ton of capital, it might be better for the Chicago Cubs to pursue some bench help and hope Shaw really has turned it around.