The Cubs roster that is hitting the road this weekend may not be the group that returns to Wrigley Field for a homestand next week.

With the trade deadline on Tuesday, the Cubs’ position is still an intriguing one – will they sell off several players or mostly stand pat?

Part of that determination will come from the next few games, as the Cubs take on the Royals and Reds on the road.

During their most recent road trip before the All-Star Break, the Cubs played their best baseball of the season with a 5-2 trip that included a 3-game sweep of the contending Orioles.

Can the Cubs pull off a similar road trip to get their season back on track?

Pitching probables

Kansas City

Friday: RHP Kyle Hendricks vs. RHP Brady Singer

Saturday: LHP Shota Imanaga vs. RHP Seth Lugo

Sunday: RHP Javier Assad vs. LHP Cole Ragans

The Royals have been one of the league’s most surprising teams this season, as they currently occupy a Wild-Card spot in the American League.

A big part of that is due to the performance of the team’s pitching staff – namely the three guys going against the Cubs in this weekend series. Both Lugo and Ragans were All-Stars and Singer is having the best year of hs career (6-6, 3.00 ERA, 1.22 WHIP).

The Cubs are staying in their rotation coming out of the Break with Hendricks, Imanaga and Assad pitching in order.

Hendricks has a 3.46 ERA over his last 9 outings since the beginning of June and was clutch for the Cubs just before the Break with 7 shutout innings in St. Louis on July 12.

St. Louis

Monday: RHP Jameson Taillon vs. TBD

Tuesday: LHP Justin Steele vs. RHP Frankie Montas

Wednesday: RHP Kyle Hendricks vs. LHP Nick Lodolo

Taillon’s name has been mentioned in trade rumors, but the veteran starter still has 2 more years left on his contract after 2024, so the Cubs are facing no pressure to deal him.

He had another strong outing Tuesday night against the Brewers despite getting the tough-luck loss and is now 7-5 with a 2.96 ERA and 1.15 WHIP on the season.

“I’ve had a great time here,” Taillon said after his outing. “I love showing up here every day. It’s a great group of guys. I think we’ve said it a lot – I feel like we should be better than we are. But to this point, we just haven’t gotten it done and results speak louder than any words we can say.

“I would love to stay here. I chose coming to Chicago and being a Cub. So that’s where I’m at.”

Quote of the Week

“You never formally plant your feet. You have to be able to be nimble, but I think where we are right now, I would say that moves only for ‘24 — unless things change over the next week — I think we probably won’t do a lot of moves that only help us for this year. If moves help us in ’25 and beyond — I think we’re still exceptionally well-positioned — that’s what our focus will be. But just helping ‘24, I think that probably won’t be our focus unless things change dramatically.” – Jed Hoyer on Monday discussing his front office’s approach at the trade deadline.

Storylines to keep an eye on

— The team’s performance in the days leading up to the trade deadline could still sway how Hoyer’s front office handles the week. There are a number of players that could potentially be moved – Taillon, Tyson Miller, Mark Leiter Jr., Drew Smyly, Hector Neris, Mike Tauchman, Cody Bellinger. Most likely, a couple of those players are on the move but don’t expect a full-blown fire sale like 2021.

— Speaking of Bellinger, Craig Counsell said Wednesday morning that the star outfielder/first baseman should return on the upcoming road trip – though the exact date is unknown.

— The Cubs are 4.5 games back in the NL Wild-Card race, trailing the Reds, Pirates, Diamondbacks and Padres (plus the Braves, Mets and Cardinals who hold the 3 Wild-Card spots).