What’s the latest on the Cubs’ pitching pursuits as the trade deadline nears?

The Cubs may find all these questions about the trade deadline to be repetitive. The alternative angle, though, would be focusing on the club’s middling play recently. Between the blowout losses, sloppy defense and creaky pitching staff, help should be on the way.

A much crisper performance showed up during Saturday night’s 6-1 win over the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field, where Cade Horton pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings and Ian Happ and Matt Shaw hit home runs to move the Cubs back into a first-place tie with the Milwaukee Brewers atop the National League Central.

The Cubs have to assume that the Brewers will keep pushing them until the end of September, and maybe even into October. Closing in on Thursday’s deadline, this is what we’re hearing, based on information from league sources:

• The Cubs are very interested in MacKenzie Gore, a top-of-the-rotation arm under team control through 2027. A blockbuster deal with the Washington Nationals would set the Cubs up for the playoffs and eliminate an offseason need. The cost to acquire Gore, however, is currently viewed as sky-high. It’s also unclear whether Washington’s interim general manager, Mike DeBartolo, is really in a position to make such a monumental decision.

Gore, 26, was one of several key pieces the Nationals received from the San Diego Padres after dealing Juan Soto, which was supposed to accelerate Washington’s rebuild. While that project has stalled, Gore is blossoming. He ranks sixth in baseball in strikeout rate (29.3%), and his 3.52 ERA would likely improve by pitching in front of one of the best defenses in baseball. For reference, Gore is at the same contractual point where the Nationals, under different leadership, decided to trade Soto.

• The perception is the Cubs are unwilling to trade Owen Caissie for a rental player, but they would consider moving their top prospect in the right deal. Perhaps that target would be someone such as Gore, though those types of deals are always difficult to execute. The Cubs are cognizant of a future that may not include Kyle Tucker, who’s positioned to be next winter’s No. 1 free agent.

The Cubs may also need Caissie before then. One injury could suddenly open a spot for the left-handed slugger, whose huge numbers at Triple-A Iowa have opened eyes and increased his trade value. The Cubs will also be able to carry an extra position player on the expanded September roster, making Caissie an interesting fit if the club needs an offensive jolt.

To put Caissie’s rise in context, the Cubs were prepared to include him in a Jesús Luzardo trade with the Miami Marlins last offseason, and then backed out due to medical concerns about the left-handed pitcher. At that time, Luzardo came with two years of club control and Caissie had only one good Triple-A season on his resume.

Caissie has now checked all the boxes in the International League, showing that he has the tools to become an everyday player in the majors, as long as he finally gets the chance. The Cubs aren’t going to cash in a trade chip like that for only two months in return.

• The Cubs are actively searching for late-inning relievers who could work in front of Daniel Palencia or help share the workload with the young closer.

Raisel Iglesias is not having his finest season with the Atlanta Braves, but he is one of several options under consideration, due to his long history of success, as well as his reputation for being a positive clubhouse presence.

Iglesias, 35, is only one year removed from perhaps the best season of his 11-year major-league career, when he posted a 1.95 ERA and 34 saves for Atlanta. He has also been trending well over the last two months (outside a poor performance in the second of back-to-back appearances against the New York Yankees). He has a 2.30 ERA over his last 15 2/3 innings with really impressive peripherals.

With the Tampa Bay Rays essentially playing out their buy-or-sell decisions on a game-to-game basis, Pete Fairbanks could also become available. Despite a lower strikeout rate, the results are there, and his solid groundball rate would pair well with Chicago’s infield.

The Rays earlier signaled a preference to retain their closer. The Rays hold a $7 million club option on Fairbanks’ contract for next season, which includes additional escalators that could boost the overall value up to $11 million.

• The Minnesota Twins’ bullpen may not have a great ERA, but talent evaluators around the game see a group loaded with talent. Cubs personnel were blown away by what they witnessed earlier this month at Target Field, where the Twins won the series by taking early leads in two games and turning it over to their high-octane relievers.

Twins closer Jhoan Duran has a triple-digit heater that he pairs with a splitter/sinker that sits 98 mph, an overwhelming combination that explains his minuscule 1.90 ERA. The Cubs are also enamored with setup man Griffin Jax, whose elevated ERA (4.00) belies his skills as he boasts a strikeout rate of 36.5% while walking just 6.8% of the batters he’s faced.

Both relievers are under control through 2027 and won’t come cheap. Jax is especially intriguing, as he could also be a candidate to convert back to starting, an offseason project that might be worthwhile.

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