Starting pitching and a third baseman are on the Chicago Cubs' shopping list ahead of the MLB trade deadline, according to The Athletic's Jim Bowden.

The small-market Brewers traveled to Los Angeles to start the second half and greeted the free-spending Dodgers the same way they did before the break in Milwaukee, once again pulverizing the club with the sport’s highest payroll.

Outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is in his third season with the Chicago Cubs after making his MLB debut in 2023. Crow-Armstrong was originally selected by the New York Mets in the first round of the 2020 MLB Draft but was dealt at the 2021 trade deadline to the Cubs as part of a package for shortstop Javier Baez.

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The Cubs are suddenly in a battle for the division and the team is hoping a previously demoted starter can improve the rotation.

The Chicago Cubs are 19 games above .500 and yet sit tied atop the National League Central with the Milwaukee Brewers. What was once a comfortable five-game

The Chicago Cubs continue to explore options for help at third base amid uncertainty surrounding Matt Shaw. The rookie is 4-for-32 at-bat in July, with three of those hits coming against the Boston Red Sox this weekend after the All-Star break.

The right-hander managed a K/9 rate of 12.7. He also logged two saves.The Bessemer, Ala., native spent all four seasons of his collegiate career in Tuscaloosa, being thrust into action immediately with 10 appearances as a freshman in 2022.