2024 Cubs trade deadline preview: Greatest needs, possible targets as Chicago seems doomed to sell

The Cubs have danced around a playoff spot but time has run out for a surge

By Matt Snyder Jul 26, 2024 at 9:19 am ET• 4 min read

The Cubs had high hopes coming into the season. Many believed they would win the NL Central and surely they internally felt as much. They sprung out of the gate with a 17-9 record through April 26. They were tied for first place in the NL Central as late as May 8 and were a major factor in the wild-card race for a bit longer. From May 22 through July 3, however, the Cubs went 12-26, falling to 13 games out in the division and six games back of a playoff spot. 

They seemed to be moving firmly into "sell" territory. But then they got hot! Then they lost six of nine. They now sit 5 1/2 games out of a playoff spot, but need to leap over four teams to get into playoff position. 

Here's what you need to know about the Cubs and their trade deadline situation.

Needs

Cubs president Jed Hoyer has essentially said they aren't in the market for rental players and would only be looking to add players who would help them in 2025 and maybe beyond. He seems to still believe strongly in the future of the team he is building, which means they likely won't be parting with any of the top prospects, either. Conversely, that also likely means they aren't going to be trading away major-league players with years of team control remaining (more on that later).

In looking at both the rest of this season and to the future, the Cubs could use a third baseman -- getting Christopher Morel off the field and to DH -- though top prospect Matt Shaw might not be too far away. A two-year stopgap would be ideal. The catching situation this season has been among the worst in baseball and while Miguel Amaya could improve, he hasn't shown enough here at age 25 to avoid addressing the position. If they somehow found offensive upgrades at third and catcher while kicking Morel to DH, that would help improve what has been an embarrassing decline with the bats, which all lies with the players already on the roster who have been collectively underperforming.