The Cubs made some good moves before the July 31 trade deadline, acquiring right handed relief pitchers Jesse Chavez and Brandon Kintzler as well as left handed starting pitcher Cole Hamels. While this is good, the Cubs still have some struggles and definitely could use some more guys for their expanded roster in September. They could use some hitters and maybe even another starter if they want to pursue a 6-man rotation. In this article, I’ll list 5 trades that I think the Cubs can make before the waiver deadline and I’ll analyze how it’ll work for each team. Also keep in mind I’m not saying they should do all 5 trades, but I’m just listing possibilities in no particular order.

First, I’ll need to breakdown how the waiver deadline works. When a team puts a player on waivers, the worst team in their league gets first pick then the worst team in the other league gets an opportunity if the worst team in the first league passes on the player. This happens until the top record in the other league unless a player decides to pick him up, in which the team formulates a trade for him. The team can also take him off waivers once, but if they put him on waivers again then they can’t take him off. Since the Cubs would So, with that being said, I’ll get into the trades.

José Iglesias to the diamond

Cubs recieve: SS José Iglesias

Tigers recieve: 3B Austin Filiere

While Iglesias wouldn’t have a huge impact for the Cubs, he would help the hitting on their expanded rosters for September with Kris Bryant on the DL for a decent amount of the year. Iglesias, while being a rental, has a 2.1 WAR this season, with a good 1.8 offensive WAR and 1 defensive WAR. His stats this year include a .265 BA, 5 HR, 48 RBI, .309 OBP, .389 SLG, .698 OPS, 19 walks, 44 strikeouts, 107 H, 29 2B, and 3 3B. His glove will improve their already good defense on the diamond and his splits against lefties will also help them as well.

This season, Iglesias is hitting a .317 BA, .367 OBP, .512 SLG, and a .879 OPS against lefties in 82 at-bats. The Cubs’ hitting stats against lefties aren’t terrible but they could improve, as they’re hitting a .266 BA (5th in MLB) and a .751 OPS (10th in MLB) compared to their team .262 BA (2nd in MLB) and and a .757 OPS (4th in MLB). While it wouldn’t be a huge addition, it would help them a bit. His doubles are also solid, as he has 29 which ranks him 26rd in the MLB. This would rank second for the Cubs behind Javier Báez’s 33. It would help their power against good postseason pitchers.

This trade is insignificant for the Tigers because realistically Iglesias is not a huge part of their future. He’s a 28-year-old under contract until the end of the season. Filiere, a third baseman for the Class A South Bend Cubs, has been having an Addison Russell type season. He has posted a .256 BA, 7 HR, 44 RBI, .336 OBP, .360 SLG, .697 OPS, 44 walks, 116 strikeouts, 101 H, 20 2B, and 0 3B in 394 at-bats. He could help replace Iglesias as a possibly better infielder.

James Shields joins the rotation

Cubs recieve: RHP James Shields, cash considerations

White Sox recieve: RHP Jake Steffens

This trade, while looking terrible and unnecessary for the Cubs, is underrated and would help them as it would be similar to the Cole Hamels trade in a few ways. Big Game James has been on a downfall in his career, but he seems to be holding on quite a bit this year, posting a 5-14 record, 4.39 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 127 strikeouts, 62 walks, and a .238 BAA in 164 innings pitched. The main reason to get him would be his stats against lefties, as he posts a 4.13 ERA and 1.24 WHIP against them which would help the Cubs’ team 4.24 ERA (18th in MLB) and 1.43 WHIP (23rd in MLB) against lefties. He also would help their injured and underperforming rotation with Yu Darvish transferred to the 60-day DL and Mike Montgomery to the 10-day DL, so they’re in need of another starter, as Chatwood can’t stay at the 5th spot. The Cubs would also pay Shields’ remaining contract from the Sox, which would help clear some cap for the Sox.

Now, the Sox would gain a prospect for 36-year-old Shields, so they definitely would do a trade no matter how good the prospect. Steffens, a 24-year-old pitcher from Class A South Bend, has been doing well this season despite pitching a low amount of games. So far this season, he has been posting a 3-2 record, 3.31 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 29 strikeouts, 6 walks, and a .269 BAA in 32.2 innings pitched in Class A Short Season and Full Season. The Sox need relievers with okay potential, as right now their future bullpen looks shaky, and Steffens could be that guy.

Tyler Clippard joins the pen

Cubs recieve: RHP Tyler Clippard

Blue Jays recieve: LHP Ryan Lawlor

While the bullpen on the Cubs is already stacked, this trade would really help them in their expanded roster in September. The only problem I could see with this trade is that Clippard would likely not be on our postseason roster unless Brandon Morrow or Darvish stay injured throughout the rest of the season. So far this year, Clippard has posted a 4-3 record, 3.57 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 67 strikeouts, 18 walks, and a .220 BAA in 58 innings pitched. Like Shields, he has good stats against lefties such as a 3.08 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP. Clippard also can start, although he hardly ever does it. Overall, this trade would help the pen with the expanded roster in September, as Clippard could help replace Mike Montgomery, their long reliever/starter, who just went on the 10-day DL.

This trade could help the Blue Jays, as they’re giving up a rental for a decent lefty reliever, somewhat similar to the Jesse Chavez trade. Lawlor, a 24-year-old southpaw from Class A South Bend, hasn’t been good so far this year, but he’s hardly played any games. Although he was just transferred to the 10-day DL, he hasn’t been awful in South Bend, posting a 1-2 record, 4.50 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 21 strikeouts, 5 walks, and a .230 BAA in 16 innings pitched. He likely won’t be a huge impact to the future Blue Jays team, which could be loaded due to two top 10 prospects in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (#1 overall) and Bo Bichette (#9 overall), but he could help as a decent 5 starter or long reliever for them in the future.

Adrián Beltré solidifies the hitting core

Cubs receive: 3B Adrián Beltré, cash considerations

Rangers receive: 2B Clayton Daniel

This obviously wouldn’t be the first time the Cubs would receive a huge name from the Rangers this season, as fans watching Cole Hamels well know. Beltré, a future hall of famer, has been having a down year this season, posting a .278 BA, 7 HR, 43 RBI, .334 OBP, .392 SLG, .726 OPS, 26 walks, 77 strikeouts, 90 H, 14 2B, and 1 3B in 362 plate appearances. One reason this trade could work is because Beltré could use a change of scenery. It worked out for Hamels and it could work for him. He also has done decently in the playoffs, posting such stats as a career .261 BA, .297 OBP, .450 SLG, and a .747 OPS in 111 at-bats in October. Beltré would be a bench bat, so while his prescence likely wouldn’t be huge for the team, it could help. The Cubs would also pay the rest of his big contract for the rest of the season.

For the Rangers, getting a minor league player for a rental like Beltré would be really great, no matter what the stats are. Daniel, a 23-year-old prospect in Class A South Bend, hasn’t been good, but has had a Russell-type season. He has posted a .273 BA, 1 HR, 11 RBI, .333 OBP, .345 SLG, .679 OPS, 16 walks, 18 strikeouts, 45 H, 7 2B, and 1 3B in 165 at-bats. While the Rangers have a pretty good future infield consisting of guys like Rougned Odor and Jurickson Profar. Daniel could add to that, as this isn’t a risky trade for the Rangers, so hey, might as well get a prospect for a 39-year-old rental and future hall of famer.

Derek Holland solidifies the rotation

Cubs receive: LHP Derek Holland

Giants receive: RHP Brendan King, RHP Garrett Kelly

This would probably be the biggest trade on this list if it happened. While the chances of it happening would be unlikely due to how good Holland is this season, there still is a chance he could end up on the Cubs. Holland has been a really solid starter this season, posting a 6-8 record, 3.75 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 137 strikeouts, 49 walks, and a .248 BAA in 134.1 innings pitched. These stats could easily land him the 3 starter in the rotation and due to the fact that Darvish and Montgomery are on DL stints, we desperately need a 3-4 starter. Shields would be more likely than Holland, but Holland is better. While posting rocky stats vs righties, he has posted incredible stats vs lefties such as a 2.01 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP. Holland really is the perfect fit for the Cubs, no matter how unlikely a trade would be for him.

As Holland is a good starter, the return the Giants would receive wouldn’t be disappointing. King, a 24-year-old righty in Class A South Bend, has posted some solid stats in a good amount of innings pitched. These stats include a 3-6 record, 3.39 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 71 strikeouts, 23 walks, and a .242 BAA in 71.2 innings pitched. As a reliever, he has potential to be good for the Giants in the future for a future solid bullpen. Kelly, a 24-year-old starter in Class A Advanced Myrtle Beach, has been doing very good this year, though not in a ton of innings pitched. He has posted a 2-1 record, 1.49 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 36 strikeouts, 20 walks, and a .176 BAA in 36.1 innings pitched. So, while his control isn’t very good, he has the ERA and BAA to be a solid bullpen guy with King for a future Giants bullpen.