Levine: Cubs Seek Starter, Super Utility Player Via Trade

By Bruce Levine--

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The opportunity to win doesn't happen every season.

Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer confirmed on Friday that adding a pitcher and a super-utility player would be ideal for the franchise with its first chance to make the postseason in eight years.

After starter Scott Kazmir was traded from Oakland to Houston for two young players, two more deals were consummated in the next 24 hours. The logjam appears to be broken, with the non-waiver trade deadline looming next Friday.

"I do think now that after there has been a couple of deals, things will loosen up," Hoyer said prior to Friday's 5-3 extra-inning loss to the Phillies. "Most of the deals get done on the 30th and 31st. We have shown in the past trades can get done before that. Whenever there is a deadline, that forces teams to action. That creates a flurry of deals on those two days."

Names the Cubs are looking at include Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels and Tigers left-hander David Price. Hamels has three years left on his contract after 2015 at $24 million per season, with an option for 2019. Price is a two-month rental. He will declare free-agent status the first week of November. Those two proposed moves would have different types of players involved.

"There are pitchers that are available, and then there are teams waiting to see if they want to make an opportunistic deal," Hoyer said.

What Hoyer is talking about is this: A team like the White Sox is sure to move pitcher Jeff Samardzija because, like Price, he will net them a quality prospect or two now before he's lost as a free agent. For teams like the Phillies, they can wait until after the season and trade Hamels, at a more controlled tempo, to get the max dollar and prospect cache in return.

Hoyer and company are in an ideal situation because player development is part of the process of winning right now. The Cubs have, at certain times, four rookies starting ballgames. That learning curve has to be weighed against giving up too much in return for short-term rent-a-players. You can give up two young players and be out after a one-game wild card loss.

"You have to trust your scouts because everything you read is taken with a massive grain of salt," Hoyer warned. "(Other clubs) push their ideas out there for their own cause. That is when you have to rely on your scouts and your conversations with GMs to know what is actually happening out there."

Oakland's Ben Zobrist is the super-utility man that upward of eight teams are looking to acquire. The Cubs are in that mix, with the young position players needing a veteran teammate to guide them and give them a day off during the heated pennant race.

"Our mindset is the only way to win a World Series is to play in October," Hoyer said. "That is our mindset. Can we chase the teams down ahead of us? Yes we can, if we play very well."

The Cubs have talked about adding a closer as well, and both sides felt things were close recently when Philadelphia's Jonathan Papelbon was being discussed. The Cubs' bullpen has been very good but ran into a blown save and a loss against the Phillies on Friday. Meanwhile, Papelbon converted his 17th save in 17 opportunities this season.

Help in all areas is being considered.

"Yes, I believe depth in the infield has been a challenge for us," Hoyer said. "We had a couple guys we were counting on in spring training get hurt. I do believe the offensive slump we have had is because of having to over-play some guys in stretches. If we can get guys a few days off so we can mix and match better, it can only help those guys."

Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.