As the MLB trade deadline looms closer, the Chicago Cubs find themselves in a challenging position. Currently seven games below .500, the team sits five games out of a playoff spot and 11 games behind the NL Central leaders. It's clear that the Cubs must start considering their options and make some tough decisions.

In a recent article by Matthew Trueblood on North Side Baseball, he emphasizes the need for the Cubs to sell and sell aggressively before the end of the month. Trueblood highlights the importance of proactivity and cleverness in navigating the trade market, expressing doubts about the ability of the Cubs' decision-makers, particularly Jed Hoyer, to execute successful sell trades.

The issue facing the Cubs is that they weren't initially built to be sellers. Unlike previous seasons, the team did not anticipate their current struggles and did not acquire players on short-term deals with the intention of flipping them at the deadline. As a result, there are limited obvious trade candidates on the roster.

However, there is still some potential for the Cubs to extract value from their current roster. Trueblood suggests that players like Ian Happ, Jameson Taillon, Nico Hoerner, Mike Tauchman, and certain relievers could serve as tradable assets, albeit with some challenges attached.

Jed Hoyer, the Cubs' general manager, will need to get creative in order to make meaningful moves given the lack of obvious trade pieces. The team's long-term contracts, no-trade clauses, and underperforming players complicate matters. Nevertheless, Hoyer and his team are tasked with exploring all possibilities to navigate the trade market successfully.

In other news, Michael Cerami, who has covered the Cubs for Bleacher Nation since 2015, is now running the website as both a writer and editor for various sections. Meanwhile, the MLB Pipeline's midseason prospect list reveals that the Cubs still have seven prospects listed, despite some names graduating to the majors.

Looking ahead, the Cubs are set to face the Philadelphia Phillies in a three-game series at Wrigley Field. Although the series may not serve as a definitive test due to the Cubs' current struggles, it could still provide an opportunity for the team to regroup and potentially showcase their tradeable assets.

With the 2024 MLB Draft approaching, mock drafts are surfacing, offering insights into potential selections. Additionally, the Seattle Mariners have been discussed as potential trade partners for the Cubs in recent discussions led by MLB Network's Jon Morosi.

As the trade deadline draws nearer, the Cubs face the difficult task of finding the right deals to reshape their roster. It remains to be seen what moves Jed Hoyer and the rest of the Cubs' front office will make to position the team for future success.