The Cubs are clear buyers heading into next weeks deadline and are looking for upgrades. report that of the Diamondbacks and of the Nationals are two names on their radar. Chicagos third base situation has been unsettled for a while. They acquired at last years deadline but then flipped him to Houston in the offseason as part of the trade. That seemingly opened the door for top prospect to take over at the hot corner, though the Cubs also hung around the market into the middle of February. Bregman ultimately signed with the Red Sox, which left the door open for Shaw, but he hasnt seized the job. In 239 major league plate appearances, Shaw has a .210/.285/.304 batting line. Thats still a small sample of work and he could still emerge as a viable big leaguer, but third base is the most obvious weak spot in Chicagos otherwise excellent lineup. The Cubs have already been to , Killian Hayes Jersey but Surez is a more sensible solution at the hot corner. Hayes is a glove-first player with poor offense and is signed through 2029. He also plays for a division rival, which often complicates trade talks. Surez isnt as strong a defender but has been on fire at the plate over the past year-plus. Dating back to July 7th of last year, he has 59 home runs, a .281/.336/.611 batting line and a 156 wRC+. Only and have more home runs in that span. Surez is also a rental, which could be appealing to the Cubs. He could take over third base for the rest of the year, then depart in free agency. The Cubs could then decide in the offseason if they want to give Shaw another shot at earning the job or pursue alternatives. Adding that kind of bat would be sensible for a lot of clubs but its still unclear if the Diamondbacks will make him available. They have suffered a significant number of injuries that have set them back this year, but theyre not totally buried. Every time it seems their season is over, they win a few more games to stay alive. They just swept the Cardinals over the weekend and are only 4.5 games out of a playoff spot. Surez ripped four homers in that series to help fuel the victories. If the D-backs decide to sell, they could really cash in. In addition to Surez, they have , and as high-profile impending free agents, in addition to guys like , , and . They have listened to offers on some of their controllable non- outfielders. Trading that group would bring back a haul of young talent but also punt the season. Per The Athletic, the Snakes will wait into next week to decide what to do, so the Cubs will also have to think about other options for third base. Even if Surez is available, there will be lots of other clubs with interest. As mentioned, Hayes is one names the Cubs have also considered. Other potential options include , , or the Mets many young infielders. As for Finnegan, thats a pretty straightforward target. Almost all contending clubs look to make bullpen additions ahead of the deadline. Per The Athletic, the Cubs are fine with as the closer but are just looking to strengthen the bullpen more generally. Finnegan has been Washingtons closer for a few years now but its been suggested that he should probably be in a setup role on a better club, as he doesnt strike out as many opponents as a typical closer. This year, he has saved 19 games for the Nats but blown six other chances. In 36 innings, he has a 4.25 earned run average and subpar 19.3% strikeout rate, though his 46.7% ground ball rate is solid. Hes also been better in the past, including last year. In 2024, Finnegan had a 3.68 ERA and 22.1% strikeout rate, though it was a tale of two seasons. He had a 2.45 ERA in the first half but then a 5.79 ERA in the second half after the Nationals surprisingly opted not to trade him. Washington wound up non-tendering Finnegan and then re-signing him to a one-year contract. If Finnegan were no longer in a closing role, perhaps manager could find ways to bring him into a game against opponents that he matches up well against, as opposed to just throwing him out there in the ninth inning regardle s. Finnegan feels like a lock to get traded as an impending free agent on a poor club, but the Cubs will probably be one of several teams checking in. Financially, the Cubs should have lots of room to work with this month. They paid the competitive balance tax last year but are well below it this year. pegs them around $218MM right now, which is roughly $23MM below the base threshold. Even if they want to avoid the tax this year, thats a lot of wiggle room. Surez is making $15MM this year, meaning there will be about $5MM left to be paid out at the deadline. Finnegan is making $6MM, which will only leave $2MM left to be paid out at the deadline. Its actually even cheaper than that since $4MM of the money in his deal is deferred without interest. Photo courtesy of Ron Chenoy, Imagn Images Rodney McGruder Jersey