What every NL Central team should do before the MLB trade deadline

MLB trade rumors: Milwaukee Brewers could use a bullpen boost and an upgrade at a corner infield spot

It feels like it is going to be an arms race atop the NL Central standings. One team that is in fantastic shape to win the division this year is current co-leader Milwaukee Brewers. Though the Brewers were the No. 8 seed in the NL a season ago, they could be as high as the No. 2 seed if they win the division and the NL East’s champion continues to be massively underwhelming.

So what does the Brew Crew need to do to best position itself at the trade deadline? Milwaukee could use an arm or two to tighten up its bullpen, as well as an upgrade at either corner infield spot. Trading for Tigers first baseman C.J. Cron makes the most sense to upgrade the corner infield spot while adding someone like Daniel Bard of the Colorado Rockies could be what the bullpen needs.

MLB trade rumors: Chicago Cubs need to add an arm to improve their starting rotation’s depth

After a dreadful April, the Chicago Cubs have heated up in May and June to take back control of the division. Chicago is tied atop the NL Central standings with Milwaukee. While Chicago needs to be incredibly business-savvy when it comes to adding to this contending team’s roster, we all know the area where the Cubs need to get better heading into the trade deadline: Starting pitching.

Chicago could add a back-end of the rotation guy, someone along the lines of Matthew Boyd of the Tigers or Michael Pineda of the Twins. The Cubs may want to go all-in and see if they can enter the Scherzer sweepstakes with Washington. Though financial issues may hurt the team in 2022, Chicago must not give up the farm to upgrade its starting rotation every so slightly this summer.

What moves should all five NL Central teams position themselves to make ahead of the deadline?